The House of Wolves
by Caspian
Summary: The continuation of MY FATHER'S CROWN. Two kingdoms are maniupulated into war with each other. And in the midst of it all, the tale of two brothers unfolds. A medieval story. Please read and give me your thoughts.(FINAL CHAPTER FINALY UP)
1. Beginnings

disclaimer: I own only the plot  
A/N: This is basically only a set of prologues, but it will help to fill in some of the backstory, and hint at the future.  
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It was called the house of wolves, the house of the blood red moon, the House of Ishida. And for hundreds of years the mere mention of its name brought terror to the hearts of people throughout the land of Digidania. Its sons were gods of the battlefield, born with swords in their hands and death in their hearts. Its daughters were fatal visions of beauty, gifted with seductive eyes and poisoned lips. And over the course of three centuries the Ishidian line used these talents to build an empire of darkness that threatened to engulf the known world. The only thing standing in its way was the steadfast House of Kamiya, the house of lions and the golden sun. But in time, even their proud defense began to crack under the crimson flood that flowed in front of the warriors of Ishida, and a dominion of darkness seemed imminent.  
  
But one day, the entire course of history was changed. It was a damp summer morning, and King Justin of Ishida mounted his horse for his customary morning ride. He was a tyrant among tyrants, cruel and bloodthirsty, killing things brought him great joy. And the happy image of his enemies' heads mounted on pikes filled his mind as he rode off into the morning mists. At sundown the horse returned, wild eyed and frantic. There was no sign of the king.  
  
For two days the countryside was torn apart, but not even the slightest trace of King Justin could be found. It was as if he had just disappeared from the face of the earth. But on the morning of the third day, just as the sun was peeking over the horizon, the king appeared at the gates of his castle. He was naked, and covered in all manner of filth. Twigs and thorns protruded from his tangled hair and beard. His wild, darting eyes were sunken and bloodshot. He talked in the nonsensical babble of a madman, going on and on about another world filled with "monsters and angels".  
  
It took five strong men to drag him to his chambers. He spent the next day locked inside being probed and examined by the royal healers, agonizing screams could be heard from sunrise to sunset. The next day the screams stopped and the healers left the chamber; pale, shaking, and desperate for a strong drink. Late in the afternoon a priest was sent for, and by early evening word came from the king's chamber that the castle should be striped of all finery, the silks and gold would be given to the poor, and the castle was to be left with only the gray, somber stone as decoration.  
  
The following morning the king finally emerged. His head and beard were shaved, and he was dressed in the coarse clothes of a penitent. His eyes were still hollow and sunken, but they glowed with the sad wisdom of one who had seen the road to Hell. With noble regret he took his seat on his bare throne, and in a strong voice declared that the House of Ishida would no longer be a force of darkness, but instead a protector of light. The lands and people it had conquered would be set free, and they would always be able to seek protection under the shield of their former captor. And then he announced that from that day on; he, and each of his successors would sit on a throne of stone, and wear a cloak of coarse hair and a crown of iron. These signs would forever remind those who wore them of the murdering darkness that lurked in their hearts, and the blood of untold innocents that would always stain their hands.  
  
In Kamiya they viewed the Ishidian king's change of heart with caution. King Araya in particular had the strong belief that it was all a ploy. He had fought against Justin and his family too many times, and seen all to closely how much they delighted in bloodshed and death. "They are the Devil's Children," he told his lords and advisors. When Justin heard of these words, he gave a sad smile, for he knew just how close to the truth Araya was.  
  
Years passed, and Justin went about helping the lands and peoples he had freed from his family's conquests. Among these lands were what would become the mighty kingdom of Tachikawa, and the tiny island nation of Motomiya. He taught his children to fight only in defense of the good and just, and never for the joy of conquest and bloodshed. Many people began to believe that the House of Ishida had finally moved out of the darkness. But not Araya, in his heart of hearts he could never believe that the sons of Ishida could be anything besides tyrants and murderers.  
  
Then there came a day when the armies of the far North began to harass Kamiya's border. Araya massed his army and moved against them at once. For it was whispered that those who dwelt in the Northern snow and ice were not entirely human, and there would be dire consequences if they should ever gain a foothold in the lands of the South. It is not said if Araya encountered man or demon when he finally met the Northern hosts, but he and his men did find themselves against overwhelming numbers, and defeat and death seemed certain. In desperation Araya sent word to Justin. "If you have truly embraced the light, then come now to my aid." he wrote.   
  
Within a fortnight Justin and his armies arrived, and the creatures of the North were turned away. They would not bother the South for many years to come. After the battle Justin came to Araya and kneeled before him, asking forgiveness for his families crimes against Kamiya. Without the slightest pause Araya pulled Justin to his feet and embraced him, and from that day on the two men were as close as brothers. When Araya's daughter was born, there was even much talk that she would be betrothed to Justin's young son, and so unite the two kingdoms. Throughout the land people celebrated the idea of lasting peace and prosperity, but there were others who did not feel joyous at such a prospect.  
  
There were those who worshiped the dark, and who believed an ancient prophecy that said they should meet their downfall at the hands of a child born between the houses of Ishida and Kamiya, born between darkness and light. Working through treachery and deceit, the followers of darkness orchestrated the brutal murder of Justin, his wife, and children. But they did not stop there, for they were so afraid of the possibility of the prophecy ever coming true that they killed every member of the Ishida family they could find, even those that were counted in their own ranks. In a single night of murder the bloodline of Ishida was wiped out.  
  
Araya grieved deeply for many weeks. And in the books of record the downfall of Ishida was counted a tragedy instead of a triumph. The kingdom that Justin had ruled fell into chaos. His lords carved out their own tiny kingdoms and selfishly warred against each other. All over Digidania people hung their heads in sorrow, thinking of what might have been, and of what would never be.  
  
But every now and then, if you happened to be walking along some gloomy forest trail, or passing through some dark alley, you might hear of a wild tale about Justin's youngest son escaping the slaughter of his family by being smuggled out into the countryside. And for many years after that horrible night, if you listened to the gossiping of the old village women, you could hear rumors of a child born deep in the woods with the signs of the dead House of Ishida; hair as golden as the sun, eyes the color of the deepest ocean, and a peculiar mark on the back of the neck; the place were it was said the Devil touched them in the womb.  
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many years later  
  
The sun was high in the summer sky when the rider finally bid his horse to stop. It was the first stop in hours, the beast's black skin glistened with sweat, and its tongue rolled out of its mouth as it panted deeply. The rider was covered from head to toe in heavy black armor, but if the oppressive heat bothered him, then he did not show it. The place where he had chosen to stop was nothing much to look at. It was a clearing in the middle of the forest; there were some stray pieces of rotten wood, a couple of places where the ruins of an old stone wall could be seen. A field that might once have supported crops was now overgrown with weeds and wildflowers. No, it was not much at all.  
  
The rider got off his horse and let the animal wander over to a nearby pond. Then he slowly walked over to one of the ruined walls, taking off his gauntlets and running his scarred fingers over the stone. He gently caressed the rock as if it was something precious and delicate. The rider had known this place when it was something else besides ruin. He had known it when it was a farm, a home, a place where a family lived. His hand began to tremble and shake, and he suddenly could not seem to breathe.  
  
The rider tore off his helmet and threw it off into the brush so fast that one would have thought it burned him to touch it. With his with face uncovered one could see that he was young, too young to have had gone through what he had. His head had been shaved not long ago, but a thin sheen of blonde hair was already coming in. His eyes were a deep blue, and as he stared at the wall they began to pool up with tears. He quickly reached up to wipe them away. His masters had forbidden tears, he had cried in the beginning and they had beaten him until he learned. But his masters were not here, nothing was here. The tears began to collect again, but this time he did nothing to fight them. He just dropped down to the ground and let the racking sobs come.  
  
Why had he come back here, even when he had seen the smoke rising to the sky as they dragged him away? Why had he thought that there might have been some way? Why had he dared to hope? "Takeru" he whispered through the pulsing tears. "I'm sorry."  
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Four years later, six years before Prince Tai took the throne of Kamiya   
  
The people of Tachikawa sure knew how to celebrate, Matt had to give them that. He was looking out of his window at the jubilant crowds thronging the streets. The air and ground were littered with pink streamers and confetti. Everywhere there were banners and flags proudly displaying the pink rose, the royal seal of Tachikawa. Matt took a long drink from the tall bottle in his hand and thought about how he also had to give it to them that they made very good wine.  
  
The people of Tachikawa had much to celebrate besides their superb fermenting abilities. The war was over, and the invading Kamyian forces had been turned away. But perhaps even more astounding was how the spoiled Princess Mimi had suddenly transformed herself into a capable leader. Her father had fallen in the early days of the war, killed in combat by the Kamiyian prince, and most had thought that Tachikawa's freedom had died with him. But Mimi had managed to change herself from a vain, flighty brat, into a knowledgeable, confident ruler, and she had steered the kingdom through its darkest hour. Many people said that it was her father's sudden death that had changed her, but only a few knew the role that a wandering mercenary had played in the process.  
  
Matt knew, but he was trying not to care. He took a last look out the window, followed by a long last drink, then he set the empty bottle down amid many of its like. He picked up his pack from the foot of the bed and then headed for the door. He was hoping he could be on his way before….  
  
But before Matt could finish the thought, his door was thrown open so violently that it crashed against the wall with a loud bang. And in the now open doorway stood a young lady who was almost jumping up and down with excitement. There were slight bags under her eyes from lack of sleep, her hair was a mess of tangles, and she had not had a decent bath in days, but even in such a state she was still insanely beautiful. Matt's heart cringed at the sight of her.  
  
"We did it, Matt! We did it!" she yelled out in a decidedly musical voice and then threw her arms around him. His body tensed at her touch, but in her excitement she failed to notice at first. Then she brought her lips up to his for a passionate kiss, and with worried surprise noted that he did not kiss her back   
  
"Matt? W-what's wrong?" she pulled away and studied him with confusion. She framed his blue eyes with her hands and tried to read them, but with a great effort he managed to keep them emotionless. She pulled a little farther away, and this time her gaze wandered to the bundle clutched tightly in his hand. "Oh, you-you're leaving?" her surprise was genuine. Matt could hear the hurt flowing in her voice and see the wounded look in her eyes. He had perhaps never hated himself as much as he did at that moment.  
  
"The war's over, Princess. Time for Izzy and me to move on." he spoke in tone of contempt, the way he had spoken to her when they first met. And he looked at her like she was a fool for thinking that things had ever changed since then.  
  
"B-but Izzy's staying here." Mimi stammered out. She had a notion of what was happening, but she tried not to believe it. "I thought you were too."  
  
Matt had known about his friend's plans since the previous day, but he narrowed his eyes in mock anger. "What, did you bribe him with lands and title?" he asked accusingly.  
  
Mimi took a step back in surprise at his words. "No, he told me he wanted to stay. And I-I thought you did too." She looked down at her feet, and a slight blush crept into her cheeks. "I mean after the other night, I thought-"  
  
"You thought what?" Matt cut her off smugly. He forced himself to put on a cruel, cocky grin. "You thought that just because we had a little fun it meant I loved you or something, that it meant I actually wanted to stay here with you." He loved her more than anything in the world, and would rather have died than leave her.  
  
Mimi's face became visibly red with shame and sorrow. Matt could see her shoulders move gently up and down as tears appeared in her eyes. The sight of her broke his heart, but it also hardened him, made him more determined to hurt her and drive her away. "You did, didn't you?" he opened his mouth in mock surprise and gave a short sneering laugh. "You actually thought that I cared about you." he gave another hollow laugh. "Jesus Christ, just how stupid are-"  
  
She brought up her hand and slapped him so fast that for a second Matt could not believe it happened. His eyes went wide with shock and his mouth fell open. Mimi forced herself to stand up straight and stare him dead in the eyes. If her father had taught her anything, then it was to always stand tall and proud, even if your heart was breaking. She kept her eyes clear and slightly hard, her lips and shoulders held steady, and even the tears trailing down her cheeks seemed dignified.  
  
"You're lying. I know you are." Her voice sounded calm and poised, even as it wavered with the threat of tears. "I don't know why you would say such things to me, and I don't really care. All I know is that I'm going to ask you something. And I am going to ask it once and never repeat it." Her eyes lost some of their hardness as they looked into his, and they quivered a little bit as they pleaded with him.  
  
"Please," she began. "stay here with me. I love you." The final words floated out of her mouth on an imploring whisper.  
  
The words broke through any wall of feigned contempt and uncaring that Matt could hope to create. His whole body slumped in defeat, and his eyes became swirling blue pools of anguish as he looked at her. She was proud, but pride could only hold her up so long. If he left her now then she would fall and probably never be able to stand again. Matt wanted to take her in his arms and never let her go. He wanted to steal the stars from the sky and give them to her to wear as jewels. He wanted to love and worship her forever.  
  
But how do you tell someone you love with every fiber of your being that you are a killer? How do you tell them that you can feel something inside your heart that makes you want to kill, that makes you yearn for the feel of hot blood on your hands? How do you tell them that sorrow and hurt seem to settle like a plague on those that dare to love you? Matt bowed his head towards the ground and walked to the door.  
  
"Fine!" Mimi screamed as he moved away. Her tears pulsed and throbbed with an angry hurt. "You want to wander around for the rest of your life? You want to live by the sword? Then go, and never come back! And I hope you die by the sword!" the words seem to sap the strength out of her. She collapsed on the bed and buried her face in the silk sheets.  
  
Matt could hear the muffled sobs as he stood in the doorway; each one was a fist squeezing his heart. But he did not turn around, and with a shaking hand he softly closed the door behind him. He moved through the marble halls silently, never raising his head. The palace was deserted; every lord and servant was celebrating in the streets. When he came to the central staircase, he looked down at the landing and immediately his eyes narrowed with expected aggravation and exhaustion. He took a deep breath and bowed his head even more before starting down.  
  
Izzy and Miyako had become close friends in the months since he and Matt had first come to Tachikawa. The two warrior geniuses had worked together on strategies and weaponry, including the Green Knight, which was some of both. And now they seemed prepared to attack Matt as a team. They flanked both sides of the staircase  
  
"You bastard!" Miyako screeched. The female warrior's eyes were glowing with fury behind her thin, and rather ornate spectacles. "How could you do that to her? She loves you for God's sake!" Her fiery temper had been fully ignited by just thinking of the heartbreak her adopted sister had to endure.  
  
"You're making a mistake." Izzy added in a calmer voice. The look on his face suggested he was more irritated than angry, but there was also a good deal of sadness and pity in his eyes. "A very, very, very, stupid mistake."  
  
"You don't think I know that!" Matt suddenly roared at them both. "I love her more than anything!" he glared at them hotly.  
  
"Then stay." Miyako spat through clenched teeth.  
  
Matt ran his hands through his golden hair as he bowed his head again. "I can't. I-I just can't." he started to walk away.  
  
Miyako started after him with more angry words on her lips, but Izzy motioned for her to stay back. "I thought this was what you wanted, Matt." he called in a concerned voice. "This is what we talked and dreamed about for three years while we wandered around. This is a home, and now you're just going to throw it away."  
  
Matt stopped walking and turned back towards them. "I can't tell her what I am. I can't tell her about what's inside me. And I can't let anything happen to her because of it."  
  
"Oh, for Christ's sake!" Izzy snapped back, finally letting some of his anger and exasperation show through. "When will you get it through your thick head that some 'feeling' you have did not kill your family? When will you admit that the world is just a horrible place, and stop blaming it on cryptic bullshit?"  
  
"Shut up!" Matt screamed and wheeled around with a hard right that sent Izzy sprawling to the floor. A few feet away Miyako started to move forward, but then bit her lip and stayed put. She watched as the two young men glared at each other. Matt's fists were clenched and his face was twisted with rage, but there were also the beginnings of tears shimmering in his eyes. Izzy was still on the floor, and there was a rather foolish expression on his face as he rubbed his throbbing jaw.  
  
"I'm sorry." Izzy said finally. He pushed himself up off the floor. "But running off isn't going to fix anything, it isn't going to make anyone feel good or safe. All it's going to do break the hearts of two people, and make everyone around them feel like complete shit." He stalked off down one of the halls, and Miyako and Matt both knew him well enough to know that the thought of Matt leaving was hurting him almost as much as it was Mimi.  
  
Matt did not move, he just stood there listless and tired. Miyako looked at him and the last of her anger faded. She walked over and gently placed a hand on his shoulder. "She loves you." She whispered. "She would do anything for you. So would we." She gave him a very quick hug and then walked down the same hall Izzy had taken.  
  
Matt listened to her retreating footsteps but did not move. He looked back at the central staircase as a tangle of thoughts flashed through his mind. He thought about his family; his father, his mother, and his brother. They were dead, but there was not a single night where they failed to come alive in his dreams. And he wondered if now he was finally getting a chance to have a family, a home that stayed with him when he opened his eyes in the morning. And he wondered if having that was worth the risk of somehow bringing harm to those he cared about. He did not know if it had been the sight of Mimi crying, or Izzy's outburst, or Miyako's gentle words, or even all three, but he began to feel hopeful for the first time in four years.  
  
He smiled to himself and started back up the stairs. But then began to feel slightly nervous as he reached his door, and he took a moment to make sure that the look on his face was appropriately apologetic. But he need not have bothered; Mimi had cried herself to sleep on the bed. And rather than waking her Matt just laid down beside her and wrapped her up in his arms. She gave him a happy-sounding mumble in response. "I love you." He told her in a whisper. And then he closed his eyes to see if any new dreams would come his way.  
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The monks of the Ichijouji Monastery lived a very secluded life. Their home was tucked away deep in the woods of what had once been eastern Ishida, far from the outside world. They prided themselves on knowledge and privacy. And while they used every means at their disposal to help those unfortunates that periodically showed up at their door, they did nothing to encourage visitors. The monks were most content when studying moldy old texts, or minding their vegetable patch.  
  
One day while the Abbot was taking a walk, he happened to glance up and see smoke rising in the sky to the South. He knew that there was a village off in that direction, and so he gathered two of the brothers and set out. The monks did not keep horses or donkeys, so it would take them many hours to get there on foot.  
  
As the small group walked on, the two brothers became engaged in conversation over the teachings of Aristotle and their relation to those of Jesus, but the Abbot kept silent. He knew there was little point in their journey. If the smoke was coming from the village, then it was more than likely that all of its inhabitants were dead.   
  
He had heard word that the Marauders had been sighted close by. They were a wandering band of raiders, easily identified by the black armor they wore. It was their practice to ride into a small village, take everything of value they could find, then kill every living thing and burn every building to the ground. Sometimes they would also take the young village boys, and through a regiment of torture and terror mold them into slave warriors. The village girls were also often taken and trained to serve particular needs and urges of the men. The Abbot knew the Marauder's ways all too well, he had been one of them a long time ago.  
  
By the time the sun was beginning to grow red, the two brothers had run out of subjects to debate and discuss, and the Abbot was surer than ever that the Marauders had razed the village. It was a belief that was soon validated. They came upon a clearing where the village should have stood, but instead the monks found only stray pieces of bone and wood, everything else was ash.   
  
The Abbot looked down at a patch of ground that was stained slightly red, in the center of the patch lay a small piece of black chain mail. The Abbot sighed and kicked it away. "Let us pray, brothers." He said softly as he bent to his knees. The other two monks had gone quite pale, and their hands shook as they clasped them together. The Abbot took a deep breath and opened his mouth, but before he could utter so much as a word, a baby's cry suddenly sounded from the clump of trees at the edge of the clearing.  
  
The Abbot was more than a little surprised and confused, but he quickly got to his feet and ran towards the sound, the two brothers close at his heels. His old, gray eyes scanned the trees as he ran, and before he pulled up he had already spotted the source of the noise. A small bundle wrapped in dark, earthy-colored cloth sat in the crook of a tree, some twenty feet off the ground. It rocked a little as the baby squirmed and cried, and the Abbot immediately began to fear that it might fall from its perch. The youngest of the monks took it upon himself to fetch the bundle. He jumped to grab hold of the lowest branch, and then began carefully picking his way upwards. He soon reached the baby, and with a relieved smile cradled it securely against his chest. He started to whisper some soft words of reassurance, but then his gaze fell on the baby's face, and his mouth dropped open in shock.  
  
"What in God's name are you waiting for?" the Abbot shouted from down on the ground. He watched with growing anxiety as the brother seemed to freeze, and for a moment he wondered if the young man had suddenly discovered a fear of heights. But then the monk began to make his way down, much slower than he made his way up. And his wide eyes never left the bundle he clutched against his body. The Abbot and the other monk rushed over as soon as the brother's feet were safely on the ground. And as they took a closer look at the baby, they realized why their comrade had been so stunned.   
  
The older monk crossed himself and whispered a prayer, but did not move his gaze away from the baby. The younger monk swallowed deeply before opening his mouth. "The eyes….th-the sight…." He said in a reverent whisper.  
  
The Abbot took the child in his arms and examined it closely. It appeared to be a healthy baby boy. Old tears stained his chubby face, and his red cheeks were scrunched up with the threat of new ones. He also had a tuft of dark hair on the top of his head, but none of that was worthy of much notice. The attention of all three men was drawn to the child's bright violet eyes, so bright that they seemed like churning purple fire. It was common knowledge throughout the area that a child born with violet eyes would possess the second sight, the ability to see things others could not.  
  
The Abbot was by nature a practical, sometimes skeptical man, especially so for one who had devoted his life to something that had to be taken on faith alone. He did not put much stock in visions, prophecies, and the like. But something in those violet eyes, something that seemed much older than the baby boy, told him that there might be something different in this particular case. "We shall take him back to the monastery with us." He announced. The other two monks vigorously nodded their agreement.   
  
They left the ruined village soon after they had erected a wooden cross and said a few prayers. They walked home in the night, the baby sleeping soundly in the Abbot's arms. The sky was gray with the coming of dawn by the time they reached the monastery, but they found the rest of the monks wide-awake and anxiously awaiting their return. And barely any time passed before the youngest monk began to tell them how he had saved the child with violet eyes from the top of giant oak tree. The other monks were not much interested in the story of bravery, but they were absolutely enthralled by the sleeping baby boy. And they seemed ready to wait for as long as it took him to wake up and open his famous eyes. But by this time the Abbot was growing irritable from fatigue, and he was just about ready to order them all to bed. In fact, he was in the process of doing just that when the baby awakened. The monks all sucked in their breath as the baby boy studied them with his eyes of purple fire. Then he scrunched up his face and started to cry with hunger pangs. This was met by a sudden disorganized scramble by the monks to procure some milk. The Abbot just rolled his eyes and sighed heavily. When things had calmed down, and after a series of very long complicated debates, the monks named the boy Ken. Only the Abbot could actually recall the tangled web of thoughts that led to the name, and when asked to repeat it he would only say that it was "so utterly moronic that it would be a sin to ever speak of it again". Moronic or not, the name stuck.  
  
As soon as Ken could walk and talk, the Abbot began his education, which was a formidable one. Thankfully for them both, Ken was more than up to the task. By the time he was eight, he had a more than passable knowledge of Latin and Greek. On his eleventh birthday he spent hours discussing the literature of ancient Mesopotamia with the monks, his main point being that the roots of all other classical heroes stemmed from the legend of Gilgamesh. And by his twelfth, Ken knew more about philosophy than most people could ever hope or even want to know.   
  
By all accounts, Ken had a happy childhood at the monastery. He liked life among the great, thick books, with the pages written lovingly by hand. The monks were always lighthearted and jovial, and he was great friends with every one of them. In fact, there were only two things that really troubled him as he grew up. The first was that the Abbot absolutely refused to teach him anything about fencing, archery, and other things of that like which looked like fun. And the second was the whole idea of the "sight" he was supposed to have. The problem was that no one, not even the Abbot, knew anything about it. Ken had no idea what to expect or how to prepare for it. It was always a dense fog floating somewhere in the back of his mind. And the mystery of it all plagued him throughout his teenage years. But then his eighteenth year came and went without any sort of "vision", and Ken gradually began to believe that the whole idea of the "second sight" was no more than a legend, just another myth like the ones he had read about in the books. When the Abbot heard of this, he frowned and wondered if some of his skepticism had rubbed off on his pupil. But after a few hours thought, he chalked it up to Ken's "awkward age".  
  
It was not long after Ken expressed his thoughts on his supposed gift, that he also addressed another line of thinking that had long been on his mind. He wanted to see what the world was like outside the monastery walls. He wanted to see the things he had only read about. He wanted to leave the only home he had ever known.  
  
The Abbot was not the slightest bit surprised; he had been expecting it for years. And though he was sad, for he did love the boy, he had no regrets. He had seen Ken grow strong, intelligent, and insightful. Of course, he was somewhat arrogant and spoiled, but the Abbot of all people knew that no one was perfect. He had taught the boy everything he knew, and now it was time for Ken to teach himself.  
  
It was the midst of winter when Ken finally made up his mind to leave, and he was a bundle of nervous energy all through the long nights. By the time spring finally arrived Ken's supplies had been packed for months. On the first clear day he said goodbye to the monks and monastery, and started out. The Abbot had insisted on accompanying him, at least until the edge of the forest. And though Ken rolled his eyes at this, he was actually grateful, for it would give the two of them time for one last talk.  
  
But they never really had the chance, for they had not traveled more than ten feet beyond the door, when the "gift" that Ken had doubted came to prove its existence.  
  
Ken stopped in his tracks; his world had suddenly become dark. There was a chill in the air, and he thought he could smell something burning.  
  
"Ken?" the Abbot called out in alarm. The boy's eyes were swirling about like a purple storm. His skin was as cold as ice where the Abbot griped him by the shoulder. "Ken, what do you see?" the old man's throat suddenly felt tight.  
  
"I-I can't see anything." Ken answered in a frightened whisper. "Its all dark, and cold. You sound so far away."  
  
"I'm right here, Ken." The Abbot tried to reassure him. "I'm holding onto you."  
  
If Ken heard, he did not respond. "I can here wolves howling off in the distance. A-and the-there's something burning." He began to tremble, and that is when the darkness parted. "I see a castle." Ken stated in a fearful whisper. "Its old and rotten. There are people inside it, ghosts, staring at me through the gates. They're covered in blood, and there's some sort of shadow inside of them, something evil." He trailed off.  
  
"It can't hurt you, Ken!" the Abbot yelled out. "None of it can hurt you!" at least he hoped none of it could.  
  
Ken had to clear his throat before he could continue. "There's a man walking up to the gates, his heart is full of greed and it seeps out of him like a mist. He's leading a child by the hand… Some of the shadow that's in the ghosts, some of it is in the child too, but-but he can't feel it, he's an innocent.... And now I see two men facing each other. The shadow, the darkness is in them too, and it's stronger than in the ghosts. It seems to pulsate and throb with a life of its own. But these two haven't given themselves up to it like the others have. They fight it, but the darkness is pushing them against each other."  
  
Ken paused, and his body stiffened. He opened his mouth to say more, but suddenly he fell to the ground screaming and convulsing. The Abbot immediately tried to help him, to calm him down. But it would take hours for that to happen. And in his useless efforts the Abbot did not hear the words that rode out of Ken's mouth on the screams, the words that Ken would not remember later, the words of warning that could have changed it.  
  
" Hate. Mistrust. Deceit. War. Battle. Green. Iron. Tears. Mountains. North.  
  
Angels with broken wings. A lion crying. A rose with drooping petals.  
  
Hearts fading away. Lords kneeling before an empty throne. Circle with twelve points.  
  
Darkness. Death."  



	2. Storm on the horizon

disclaimer: I own only the plot. The character of Ryo was created by Takeru-san, and is used with his permission and input.  
====================================  
  
  
Smithytown was not much more than its name, dozens upon dozens of smithies grouped together in a random, ugly pattern. Chimneys of all shapes and sizes pumped thick black smoke into the air. The harsh ringing of hammers on anvils never ceased. Soot got into everything; food, clothes, hair, it ground its way so deeply into the skin that no amount of scrubbing could ever remove it. Smithytown was a bleak, miserable place to live. But it produced the finest steel anywhere, and that made it very valuable. It was located near the heart of what had once been the kingdom of Ishida, a region divided into countless tiny kingdoms, all ruled by greedy warlords who had been fighting each other continuously since the fall of Ishida, hundreds of years past. To them, Smithytown was a jewel to be drooled over, and no price of warriors or gold was too high in their bids to acquire it for themselves.  
  
Lord Rolen, who did possess it, would rather have liked to wipe it off the face of the earth. He was a tall man, and solidly built. He had long, graying hair, and unsettling green eyes. His leathery face was weather beaten and scarred. Rolen's family had been one of the most prestigious in Ishida's prime, and even after King Justin's change of heart they had lived in opulence and extravagance. While they did not participate in the murder of the king and his family, they did not necessarily disapprove of it, for they had long thought Justin a fool for daring to strip Ishida of any of its glory. But Justin's humble rule was heaven compared to the chaos that followed his death. Rolen's family had much of their land gobbled up by the other lords, and they had to fight tooth and nail to keep what remained. In Rolen's blood flowed generations of bitterness and resentment. He believed that he deserved the finer things in life, and instead all he had was a decomposing castle, miles of useless trees and mud, and Smithytown, all of which he hated with a passion. Smithytown he hated most of all, especially when he had to actually set foot in it. But it was there that he saw the boy.  
  
Two years prior, Rolen had been approached by a rather odd individual. He was very pale, and his eyes seemed to have traces of yellow in them. His long legs took awkward steps, and he scratched at his skin until it turned red. It was almost as if his body were a new set of clothing in which he was not yet entirely comfortable. The strange man never gave a name; he just calmly asked Rolen if he were interested in obtaining a great amount of wealth and power.  
  
Rolen, who was drunk at the time, thought the man was certainly a lunatic. But for the amusement of himself and his men, he played along, and said that he was indeed interested. He then burst out laughing so hard that he fell out of his chair. The strange man just smiled with a mouth full of sharp little teeth. "Instructions will come." He said. And he turned around and left as quickly as his tentative steps could carry him. A month later, and nearly every month after that, wagonloads of iron arrived at Rolen's doorstep. At first he was amazed, but then he began to feel excitement tingling in his stomach, and he personally took the iron to Smithytown to have it made into weapons and armor. Then he would watch as the wagons headed north towards the Craddle Mountains, the border between Kamiya and Tachikawa. The wagonloads of iron were the only thing that could get him to even look at the place, and he still would not go within thirty feet of it.  
  
But it was the dead of winter the day he saw the boy, and the wind was so bitingly cold that Rolen finally gave up and ventured inside the town. He set himself in the middle of the widest street and stood there in his furs, letting the close proximity of the fires warm him. For a while he just stared at the gray and smoke heavy snowflakes as they fell. When that grew boring, he started watching the boy go about his chores.  
  
The boy never knew his parents; his first memory was of lugging heavy pails of water into the red heat of one of the smithies. He was of slightly above average height and build. His hair was the color of dead grass, and hung about his head in uneven proportions. The blue in his eyes was so pale that it resembled marble. He wore only rags as he scurried from smithy to smithy, carrying pails of water or coal. The bitter cold outside was almost refreshing compared to the scorching heat inside. At some point he became aware of the lord watching him, so he bent his head and stepped slightly faster, hoping that the lord would soon lose interest in his activities.  
  
But Rolen did not lose interest, and when the boy's path took him close enough, the lord stuck out a foot and sent the boy face-first into the ground. The coal in his buckets scattered all over, and the snow soaked him to the bone. Rolen was immediately pleased with himself, and he opened his mouth to laugh. But then his gaze chanced upon the back of the boy's neck, and the breath caught in his throat. His hands began to tremble, and despite himself he took a step back.  
  
The mark was so faint that Rolen almost missed it among the soot and grit, but it was there, a tongue of black flame. He knew the mark at once; the history of his family had been forced into his head as a child, and the history of his family was often intertwined with that of the House of Ishida.  
  
As Rolen had stood remembering all of what the mark meant, the boy had gotten to his knees and went about gathering up the spilled coal. His muscles were tense as he watched the lord out of the corners of his eyes. A lifetime of beatings had taught him to be cautious of those with power.  
  
Rolen was tense as well, almost afraid. For some reason he could not stop thinking about the stories he had heard, about the Ishidas penchant for bloodshed. But then he began to think logically. The mark on the boy was barely visible; the blood in him was weak. As these thoughts comforted him, other thoughts began to lay the base of an idea in his mind. The boy was of the House of Ishida, which gave him claim to the throne. And if Rolen could control the boy….. If he could send word to his strange allies……  
  
By now the boy had collected all of his coal, and he slowly began to back away from the lord. The cold was making him shiver now, and his teeth began to chatter. He did not like the look in the lord's eyes.  
  
In Rolen's head the plan had almost completed itself. He could not let the boy get away from him. "Are you alright, son?" He suddenly spoke up. He tried to make his voice sound sensitive and caring, but the effort was new to him. "I hardly meant for you to have such a nasty fall." He gave a sneering little chuckle.  
  
"I'm fine, my Lord." The boy answered. He stopped moving and looked down at his feet.  
  
Rolen smiled. "Tell me, son. What is your name?"  
  
"R-Ryo, my Lord."  
  
"Ryo." Rolen repeated with a sharp grin. "Named after the great conqueror, are you?"  
  
"I-I don't know, my Lord"  
  
Rolen smiled as he moved towards the boy. A dangerous, greedy glint came into his eyes. "Tell me, Ryo. Are you hungry?"  
-------------------------------------------------------  
months later  
  
Kari paused at the foot of the ladder and grimaced. She looked from the book in her hand to the top of the wall, and wondered if it was really worth the aggravation. It probably was not, but she gave a heavy sigh and put her right foot on the first rung anyway. She put the book in the pouch that was slung around her shoulders, and briefly placed her hand over her stomach, an action that had become a habit of hers recently, before starting up. She crawled up the ladder as quietly as she could. And when she reached the top, she lifted her head just high enough to peek over.   
  
Lucas was leaning against the turrets a few feet away, looking inattentively out towards the fields. The boy was twirling his steel helmet on his fingers and humming some unrecognizable tune, his spear was laying at his feet.  
  
Kari frowned. If the situation were any different, she would have immediately gotten after young warrior for his sloppiness, especially on guard duty. But considering the situation, she would settle for just getting up on the wall without him noticing. Unfortunately, just as these thoughts entered her mind, Lucas suddenly felt the need to turn around. He saw her, and his face twisted into an expression of utmost terror.  
  
"Princess!" he gasped. "Oh my God, hold on!" He dropped his helmet and rushed towards her.  
  
"No, Lucas don't! I'm fine!" Kari squealed as she tried to climb up the rest of the way. But the boy grabbed her by the wrists before she had a chance.  
  
"I've got you, Princess! Just hold on!" he panted as he tried to pull her up. But all he succeeded in doing was pulling Kari from the ladder, leaving her dangling in the air.   
  
"Lucas!" she screamed, more out of anger than fear. Then she just gave a tired sigh and resigned herself to being pulled to the top of the wall.  
  
"Are you okay, Princess? You didn't hurt yourself did you?" Lucas asked once Kari was safely on her feet. He quickly scanned her for any cuts or bruises.  
  
"For God's sake, Lucas." She groaned and pushed him away. She looked past the boy and then immediately groaned again. The guards from the other parts of the wall were all rushing over with terrified looks on their faces to make sure she was all right.  
  
"You really shouldn't be climbing up here, Princess." Lucas told her matter-of-factly. "Especially not in your condition."  
  
By this time, Kari had had just about enough. "All of you get back to your posts this instant!" she barked at the other guards, who immediately stopped, gulped, and went scampering back the way they had come. "And you…" She said as she turned back towards Lucas, who had suddenly gone very pale and wide-eyed. She grabbed him by the shirt collar and pulled him down until she was staring him straight in the eyes.  
  
"I humor all of you by wearing this stupid whistle!" She dangled the little instrument in front of the boy's frightened face. She was supposed to wear it on a chain around her neck and vigorously blow it if she happened to fall down a well, or needed someone to do some heavy lifting for her.   
  
"But I will not be told where I can, and cannot go, in my own house! I am pregnant, not an invalid, and I will not tolerate being treated as if I am going to break if a stiff wind comes up! Do I make myself absolutely clear?"  
  
Lucas could not quite swallow the bulge in his throat. "What if TK gives me specific orders not to let you up on the wall, or go near the well?" he asked timidly.  
  
Kari narrowed her eyes. "Then you just ask TK if he likes sleeping in the stables. Okay?"  
  
"Okay" Lucas squeaked.   
  
"Good." Kari said as she released him. The little bout of venting made her feel much better, and her expression softened as she remembered why she had come up the ladder in the first place. "Here." She said while digging around in her pouch. "I brought you a new book."  
  
Lucas' face immediately lit up so brightly that Kari could not help smiling. The boy was almost as voracious a reader as TK, and Kari was constantly on the lookout for any new books that happened to come her way.  
  
"Thanks, Princess!" the boy exclaimed before burying all his attention in the book's pages.  
  
Kari watched him with a gentle grin for a moment, and then walked over to the square-shaped turrets. It was the middle of summer, time to finish harvesting the wheat crop, and a majority of the male inhabitants of Takaishi Manor were out in the fields. But Kari was looking for one person in particular as she brought her hands up to shade her eyes against the glaring sun, and it did not take her long to find him. She spotted TK near the eastern edge of the fields, swinging his scythe in a strong, steady rhythm. The young man's golden hair had been bleached almost white by the sun. His skin was a deep bronze, and would be hot to the touch when she held him at night.  
  
It was fair to say that life had changed for TK and Kari in the two years since they helped Tai take his rightful place as king. They were now Lord and Lady of Takaishi Manor, and while it was not the tiny farm they had dreamed of, they still liked it. Until recently, Kari had been the undisputed mistress of the house; overseeing every little thing, and playing the stern, yet understanding older sister to a garrison of soldiers who, for the most part, were not ready to start shaving. But then it became known that the princess was pregnant, two months along by Jyou's figure, and she suddenly could not walk across the courtyard without at least six people trying to steer her around every patch of uneven ground. It did not exactly take Kari a great deal of thought to figure out exactly who was behind the sudden change in how she was treated.  
  
TK came very, very close to becoming good friends with the manor horses. But Kari had discovered years ago that it was extremely difficult to be mad at those bottomless blue eyes, and how uncomfortable she was if his arms were not wrapped around her while she slept. And of course there was that look of absolute wonder that came over his face whenever he stopped to think that he was going to be a father. And it was that same look that always sent Kari's heart fluttering with the knowledge that she was going to be a mother.  
  
Kari unconsciously placed a hand over her stomach as she watched TK happily sweating out in the fields. She smiled as a rush of contentment suddenly swept over her. After years of fighting and secrecy, it seemed that her world was finally steady, and her loved ones were finally safe.  
  
She was about turn and go back down, when a flicker of movement caught her eye. She furrowed her brow for a moment, then squinted her eyes and studied the line where the fields met the forest. Within seconds she had identified the source of the movement; armed men on horseback, slinking about in the shadows.  
  
Kari felt a tingling of fear in her stomach. "Lucas." She said. "Lucas, are we expecting any riders today?" She asked, even though she already knew that they were not.  
  
The urgent ring to her voice made the boy blink and look up from his book. "Not that I know of. Why?"   
  
Without taking her eyes off men and horses, Kari took him by the shoulders and pointed him towards the woods. Lucas stared confusedly for a moment before his eyes went wide as he saw them too.  
  
"They're not any of ours." He said in a nervous voice.  
  
Kari nodded. "Get the rest of the men and get out there" she still did not move her eyes away as she listened to the boy's retreating footsteps. She thought for a moment that the armored men might not make a move before Lucas and the others got there. But then she saw them slowly draw their swords and start to urge their horses forward. TK and the others in the fields had not yet noticed them, and it would soon be too late. Kari felt panic rising in her chest, in a sudden slash of inspiration she grabbed the whistle around her neck and brought it to her lips. She took a deep breath, and then blew as hard as she could.  
--------------------------------------------------------------  
  
  
TK had just stopped swinging for a moment to wipe the sweat out of his eyes, when he heard the shrill cry of the whistle. His very first thought was that Kari was in trouble, and a surge of panic shot through his chest. He turned, and almost broke into a run before he spotted Kari on the wall, still blowing the whistle and waving her arms like mad. For some reason, he next thought about how he had specifically told Lucas not to let her up on the wall. But then he heard the pounding of a horse right behind him, and all of his thoughts fell into place.  
  
TK dove to the side just as he felt a burning cut travel down his left arm. He looked up and saw a rider dressed in brown leather armor gallop by, then quickly pull up, and turn his horse around to make another pass. TK grabbed his scythe, and when the rider came charging back, he sidestepped a blow from the man's sword, and then quickly buried the blade of the scythe in the rider's chest, causing the man to go tumbling from his mount with a watery gurgle.   
  
TK grabbed the horse by the reins before it could run away, and after retrieving his weapon, swung himself into the saddle. He could almost hear the roar of adrenaline coursing through his veins. And in the depths of his heart he could feel the murdering darkness start to stir. It had been an ever-present part of him since the day in Hikari's room, and in battle especially, it gnawed at him like a wolf begging to be set free. A part of him always wanted to listen to it. But TK willed himself to keep the darkness locked away, and quickly turned his attention to the two riders speeding towards him.  
  
The first rider was obviously a novice; he sat high up in the saddle, and charged ahead of his partner. His sword was held high over his head, where it was useless for protection. TK decapitated him with one swing of his scythe.  
  
But the second rider was experienced; he hunkered down in the saddle, and kept a loose, easy grip on his sword. Perhaps more importantly, the man's horse was also experienced, as well as strong and intelligent. The animal knew how to rear up, and punch out with its fore hooves. TK tried to steer his horse out of range, but the animal was skittish and unwieldy, and soon his opponent's mount connected with a punch that cracked his horse's skull.   
  
As soon as TK felt the animal tipping over, he dropped his scythe, so he could not accidentally impale himself, and then slid off the other side. Unfortunately, the action was so awkward that he wrenched his right knee upon hitting the ground. He ignored the pain, and as the rider leaned down to strike with his sword, TK grabbed the man by the arm and pulled him out of the saddle. The man gave a surprised grunt, and tried to throw his unrestrained hand out to stop his fall. But TK applied all of his weight onto the man's back, and forced him face first to the ground. The now dismounted rider tried to push himself up, but TK just pushed down harder. He noticed the dagger in the back of the man's belt, and in a quick motion he pulled it out and stabbed it into his back. The rider screamed in pain and fear, but TK squeezed his eyes shut, and held the man to the ground until he stopped moving.  
  
When TK opened his eyes again, the look in them was somber. He quickly pushed himself away from the body of his opponent, and slowly stood up, placing all of his weight on his uninjured knee. He looked out across the fields, and with a thankful sigh noted that the unexpected skirmish seemed to be over.   
  
There had only been about twenty attackers, and their plan had depended heavily on the element of surprise, as well as the advantage of being on horseback. Kari's sharp eyes and whistle had been responsible for taking away some of the surprise. And as for the rest, well, despite their young age, the soldiers of Takaishi Manor were disciplined and well trained in combat. They had fed off the strength and bravery of their Lord and Lady, and used it to develop their own. Any of the attackers who had survived the first few minutes had bid a hasty retreat when the manor gates opened, and the remaining guards poured out.  
  
"Is anybody hurt?" TK called out.  
  
Most of the soldiers had cuts and bruises, and a few had arms that seemed to look slightly swollen, or were favoring one of their legs, but none of them admitted to being hurt. Besides being well trained, they were also proud, and a soldier risked losing face if he complained about anything less than losing an appendage.  
  
"Good." TK said with relief. That meant he could be sick in peace.  
  
Ever since the day when the darkness had taken control of him, TK had been horribly ill at the end of every battle in which he fought, and today was no exception. He fell to his knees as the sickly feeling spread through his gut, and then he leaned forward and began to vomit. The violent constriction of his stomach and throat were painful enough to squeeze tears out of his eyes. And all the strength seemed to be sapped out of his shoulders and chest. He knew that he deserved it though, there was something inside him that made him a killer, and it was only right that he had to pay for it  
  
TK had not been kneeling on the ground very long, when a cool, gentle hand began to tenderly rub his back, while its partner brushed the hair away from his forehead. "Shh." Kari whispered in a soothing voice. "It's okay. It's not your fault, none of it is your fault." She hated that he had to go through this, hated even more that she could do little to help him.  
  
After a few moments, TK's vomiting faded to dry heaving, and then stopped all together. By this time he was trembling like a child, and his face felt thick with sweat. Kari handed him a skin of water and gently instructed him to rinse his mouth. Then she just held him for a little while, and let him rest his head on her shoulder. She thought about how at least he had to survive the battle if he were going to be sick after it, and she hugged him a tiny bit tighter.  
  
TK was always very reflective after being sick, and now for some reason he felt that there was something odd about the attack, something that went beyond a simple raid by clumsy bandits. He gently pulled away from Kari, and slowly limped over to the body of the last rider he had killed. Kari followed closely behind him. She too, had a vague feeling of unease floating in the back of her mind.  
  
TK kneeled down beside the body and studied it for a moment. There was a piece of white fabric sticking out of the man's trousers, and he reached over to pull it out. Upon close inspection, they saw that it was only about the size of a napkin, but there was an unmistakable symbol emblazoned on it; a bright pink rose, studded with thorns. It was the war emblem of the kingdom of Tachikawa.   
  
Kari winced, and reflexively put a hand on TK's shoulder. He just sat there for a moment before sighing and leaning back against her legs.  
  
"We'd better send a message to Tai."   
---------------------------------------------------------  
One week later  
  
  
Lord Artur was the perfect portrait of a great warrior grown old. He had allowed his hair and beard to grow long, and they had become as soft and pale as moonlight. His once mighty shoulders were now thin and bony, and he stooped forward as he plodded along on a pair of stiff, weak knees. Hands that could once have choked the life out of a man were now crippled by arthritis. But there was also a very amiable, very gentle gleam in his eyes which had never been there in his youth. Age had made him wise and reflective, and had given him an air of peace and quiet.  
  
Tai tried to keep the awe out of his voice as he greeted him. "It is an honor to welcome you here to Kamiya, Lord Artur."   
  
"It is an honor to be welcomed so warmly, King Tai." The old man had just stepped out of his traveling carriage, and his guards and advisors were likewise just starting to dismount from their horses.  
  
The two men shook hands. And Tai could not keep his eyes from growing wide with boyish reverence. "My father used to tell me stories about you." He heard himself say. "One of the greatest warriors in the world, the Protector of Ishida."  
  
"Oh, stop it with the hero worship." Artur said, even as his face lit up with a warm smile. " You're a king for God's sake. And I'm much too old to be living up to those wild legends." He reached over and playfully patted Tai on the cheek. "Besides, now a days, children are being raised on stories of King Tai, and the Royal Family of Kamiya."  
  
Tai felt his cheeks turn red, and he could not stop himself from childishly looking at his feet.  
  
"Speaking of the royal family." Artur continued while glancing around. "I had hoped for a chance to meet more of its members."  
  
"Queen Sora is attending to some business in the city." Tai answered him. "And Lord Jyou has been out at his estate for the past couple of days. But I expect they should both be home for dinner."  
  
"I'm looking forward to it." The old lord said with a nod of his head. "But for now, let's go for a stroll. I have grave matters to discuss with you later, and I always like to have a little bit of pleasant conversation before starting in on the grim stuff." Artur really did not give Tai a choice in the matter; he just took the young man by the arm and started walking.  
  
"Make sure that Lord Artur's men and horses are made comfortable." Tai called to some attendants as he was dragged away.  
  
For the better part of the next hour, Tai showed the lord around the castle, while Artur handled the conversation by barraging the younger man with questions. The old man had no family of his own, and it was with a sort of melancholy happiness that he listened to Tai talk about his. It was clear that the young man depended greatly on his family, and would do anything to protect them.  
  
At one point, the two men were walking down one of the main halls, when a portrait on the wall caught Artur's eye. It was of a young man, scarcely more than a boy, but with a face full of courage and determination. The old lord did not recognize the face, but the name etched at the bottom of the frame was sadly familiar.  
  
PRINCE DAVIS OF MOTOMIYA:   
KNIGHT TO THE ROYAL CROWN OF KAMIYA  
  
"Davis never did like to advertise the fact that he was a prince." Tai spoke up suddenly. "He said he was worried that people might try to coddle him if they knew." He gave a sad smile and looked down at his feet. "He said his parents never let him do anything while he was at home."  
  
Artur gave the young man a sad look. "Do you blame yourself?" he asked.  
  
"Of course I do." Tai responded with a shallow laugh. "I blame myself for everyone who's died following me. I blame myself if one of my men gets hurt in fencing practice, or gets thrown by a skittish horse. And you should see me when something happens to my family." He reached up and gently brushed his hand against the portrait.   
  
"I learned a long time ago, that being a leader means making sure that every bit of blame falls squarely on your own shoulders, and no one else."  
  
Artur could not hide his amazement as he listened to the young man speak. "You are an old man, Tai of Kamiya." He said. "It took me most of my youth to learn that same lesson."  
  
The two men gave each other solemn smiles. And shared in their eyes a look of understanding, and a little bit of sympathy.  
  
"I know you wanted to wait until tonight, to speak of why you came to Kamiya." Tai spoke after a moment. "But would you consider talking of it right now, just between the two of us. It might make discussion easier later on"  
  
The old man's brow creased in consideration. "I think you're right." He said after a moment. "That might not be such a bad idea."  
  
The two started walking again. Tai steering Artur down a side passage as the old man organized his thoughts. This new hall was a little colder than the main one, and there seemed to be a bit of a draft. Tai paid both walls a quick glance, but the old lord did not pay attention.  
  
"Since you've heard all the stories about me," Artur began. "You probably know that my family followed the Ishidas from the time when they first came to power. My ancestors fought beside them in the darkness, and they stepped with them into the light. When the fall came, my family tried to keep order in as many places as possible. Which is why I rule over a fair amount of land now, including most of the area that touches Kamiya's southern border. And I've always done everything I could to keep my people as happy and safe as possible. But the fact is I'm an old, old man now. My back can't handle it to sit on a horse, and I can barely pick up a goblet, let alone a sword."  
  
He stopped and looked at Tai with a remorseful, almost pleading look. And it startled Tai to see that look in the eyes of a man who had been a hero of his childhood dreams.  
  
"I fear that the darkest hour of my people looms on the horizon, and I am now to weak to fight for them."  
  
Tai stopped walking, and shot the old man a guarded look "What exactly is this 'darkest hour' that you're talking about?"  
  
"There is a lord by the name of Rolen." Artur said in a low voice. "Who claims to have found a boy, one bearing the signs of the Royal House of Ishida."  
  
"That's impossible!" Tai exclaimed. "The Ishidian line was wiped out hundreds of years ago!"  
  
"I know that!" Artur shot back in a cross voice. "But there are people out there who believe the fairytales. And in their blindness they've sworn allegiance to this 'king', and so put themselves under Rolen's power. Put themselves at the mercy of a murderous, power-hungry tyrant!"  
  
The old man's cheeks were almost glowing with rage, and his emotion was so great that his disease-ridden hands shook, and cramped up on themselves. The truth was that Artur had always been a man of action. And during some moments of great outrage, it nearly killed him to think that he was now nothing but a feeble, helpless, old man.  
  
"So this Rolen character." Tai spoke up, studying Artur's behavior closely. "He's basically duping people into following him, by using this boy as a puppet?"  
  
"Yes." Artur said through clenched teeth. With a great sigh he tried to get rid of his anger, and turned back to Tai with a clearer head. "But not everybody is so easily fooled. And Rolen is intent on bringing all of Ishida, and maybe more, under his heel. He's started using force, and most of the lords in the central and western parts of the country have already been overthrown, or are cutting deals with the bastard even as we speak. Only myself, and a handful of lords here in the east are still holding out."   
  
Tai began to take a few steps back and forth, his mind whirling with a tangle of questions and possibilities. "How is Rolen managing all this?" he asked. "He can't possibly have enough men to control most of Ishida, and fight for the rest of it at the same time."  
  
"That's just it." Artur answered. "He seems to have just pulled legions of soldiers out of his back pocket." The old man gave Tai an intense look. "And it appears that he is receiving help from other sources."  
  
"What help?" Tai asked immediately. He felt a sudden twinge of unease in his gut.  
  
Artur took a deep breath before answering. "Lately, troops bearing the banner of Tachikawa have been spotted fighting beside Rolen's men."   
Tai met the disturbing news with silence. The truth was that this was not news at all. He had been receiving reports from all across the western border, of attacks by soldiers who appeared to be from Tachikawa, the one from Takeru and Hikari being the most recent. And he did not have to stretch his imagination to come to the idea that Tachikawa might also be involved in the goings on in Ishida.  
  
"Well, Lord Artur." He said after moment. "These truly are grave matters that you have brought here today, and I think the best place to discuss them further would be at a meeting with our respective advisors."  
  
The old man nodded. "In that case, I think I will retire to my room for a nap."  
  
"I'll show you to your chambers." Tai said.  
  
"That won't be necessary." Artur said with a small smile. "You've got a lot to think about. And I'm sure if I wander around for a while, someone will take pity on an old man, and point him in the right direction." Then he walked back down the hall without waiting for a response.  
  
Tai waited until the old man had gone around a corner, before quickly walking to the end of the hall, and going into the room there. It was a seldom-used guest bedroom, complete with a lumpy mattress, and a lovely view of a compost heap. But it was also one of the most useful rooms in the castle.  
  
"Well." Tai said to the empty room after closing the door. "What are your impressions?"  
  
"Well," said a muffled voice. "He obviously thinks we should feel threatened by what's going on down in Ishida." A second later a door appeared in the right wall, and Sora emerged. She paused to brush some dirt out of her auburn hair, and then immediately went to Tai's side and took his hand in her own. "Reminding us that if he falls, then we'll most likely have hostiles living at our southern border."  
  
Tai nodded and turned to the left wall "What do you say, Jyou?"  
  
"I don't like it at all." The wall answered. A fumbling sound could be heard behind the stone, and then another door appeared, allowing the Lord of Kido to step into the room. "The whole thing stinks to high heaven." Jyou wiped his nose with a napkin. The dark haired young man was always miserable in mid-summer, there was something in the air to which he was horribly allergic. But he could never quite figure out what it was.  
  
"What in the hell could Tachikawa be thinking?" Jyou continued. "Why would they be sending out raids across the mountains, and at the same time sending more troops down to fight in Ishida? It doesn't make any sense. And I say we don't make a move until we have a better idea of what is going on."  
  
Tai gave a silent nod of agreement as he creased his brow in thought. "What do you think we should do, Sora?"  
  
The queen only had to look into her husband's eyes for a moment to figure out that his mind was already made up. He probably just did not realize it yet. "Whatever we do, we do it as carefully as possible. No unnecessary risks." She gave a small sigh and wrapped her arms tightly around Tai's waist.  
  
Tai gave a small frown and placed his hands over Sora's. He could easily guess what the other three members of his inner circle would say. Brother Cody would agree with Jyou about needing more information. Hikari would follow Sora's line of reaoning, stressing caution and preparation without committing to a straight answer. And Takeru would most likely stand off in a corner and not say a word. The young prince rarely got involved with strategy and politics. He was a simple warrior at his core, and he hated being that enough without becoming any thing else.   
  
Tai let loose a heavy sigh. He knew that was something strange going on, something dangerous that was just waiting for him to walk right into it. But he also knew that his honor and courage would not let him walk away when there were people fighting for their lives, people that had come to him for help. One of the first things his father taught him was that the House of Kamiya always stood ready to protect those who needed it. It was why they had remained locked in war with Ishida for so long, and why Araya had grieved so deeply over the graves of Justin and his family.  
  
"Here's what we do." Tai said after a moment, his voice filling with determination and excitement. "We take a small investigation team into Ishida, determine what exactly is going on, and then decide on further actions once we have more information."  
  
Jyou sighed and rubbed his temples; he could already see where this was headed. "And just how small this is 'investigation team' going to be?"  
  
"About one-third of the army; the best one-third." Tai answered with a grin. "If nothing else, we can at least make a big enough show to make Artur's enemies think twice about any more fighting." He began to pace the room as thoughts raced through his mind.  
  
"I take it TK and his men will be going with you." Sora spoke out.  
  
"Of course." Tai responded immediately. "They're the best warriors we've got."  
  
Sora shot him a wry smile, and put her hands on her hips. "You know that Kari is not going to let TK go without her. " She of course also meant that there was no chance in hell of Tai leaving the castle unless she left with him.  
  
Tai caught both meanings pretty quickly. "We'll bring along an armored carriage for Hikari. And since we both know that she'll hate not being able to ride horseback, you can travel in the carriage with her and keep her company." He gave his wife a smug smile.  
  
Sora narrowed her eyes and glared at him for a moment in mock anger. She had indeed kept her promise to herself, and learned how to ride a horse. In fact, she had become an excellent rider, and loved riding very much. But in this instance she figured everyone would be better off if she just consented to traveling in the carriage.  
  
"Fine." She sighed. "Now if you both will excuse me. I have to go make sure that dinner is coming along, and then go take some of the extra food into town." She gave Tai a quick kiss on the cheek before walking out the door.  
  
Sora was the people's queen, always helping the less fortunate any way she could. In winter she brought them wagons full of warm blankets, in summer it was fresh, clean clothes. And year round she made sure that hot food was provided. She played with the orphans, and comforted the sick. And she never let herself forget what her life had been like before a clumsy young prince had fallen headfirst into her world.  
  
"I should probably give her some help with the extra food." Tai mentioned to Jyou as they watched her leave. "I've heard from Takeru that Hikari's starting to have some very odd, and very random changes in temperment. If I'm going to make Sora stay with her in a confined space for several hours, then I better start playing make-up right now."  
  
Jyou gave a thoughtful nod and wiped his nose again. "I should go put together a medical team for this little expedition. Something tells me I'm going to need some help."   
  
"Make sure it's of a small and investigative nature." Tai smirked.  
  
Jyou just rolled his eyes. In the past two years, the Lord of Kido had become perhaps the greatest physician in the land. He even taught, passing on his knowledge and skills to intelligent young men and women who happened to show interest in his work. Some traveled hundreds of miles to learn from him. And all of it had happened because his courage had been shattered in the dungeons of a murderer. But the truth was that his courage had just transformed itself into a new shape. He could patiently sew up the chest of a crying young soldier, while arrows whizzed past his ear, and screaming madmen charged at him with swords. But the very idea of ever again picking up a weapon made him feel ill.  
  
"And while your putting together your team." Tai continued. "There are a few things I need you to do."  
  
"Dare I ask?" Jyou sighed.  
  
Tai ignored the comment. "Send word to Takeru and Hikari, and brief them on the situation. Then send some scouts out to look for Cody, he's always wandering around here this time of the season. And finally, order that the patrols at the western border be doubled. The second anything comes through those mountains, I want to know about it."  
  
"Shall I peel you a grape before I start on all that?" Jyou snorted.  
  
"Just get to work." Tai responded with a laugh.  
  
The Lord of Kido gave a brief smile, and then walked out of the room, leaving Tai alone. Which he hated. When he was with other people, all of his decisions seemed like the right ones, the ones he was supposed to make. But it was when he was alone, with nothing else except his own thoughts to keep him company, that he doubted himself. It was during these times that how much depended on his decisions was most apparent to him. It was when he second-guessed himself, when he started to feel a cold sweat forming on his brow.  
  
Tai started walking. He knew were he was going, but did not really concentrate on getting there. He just trusted the twisting hallways to deposit him at his destination. And within a few minutes he entered the royal courtyard. He walked across the grass towards the back, not stopping until the rows of marble tombstones came into view. He paused for a moment to gaze at them all; beneath the marble stones lay the great monarchs and heroes of Kamiya's history. Tai walked on through their ranks silently and respectfully, passing the spot where his parents lay, though he did intend to visit them before he left. But he needed to talk to someone else at the present moment.  
  
"Hi, Davis." He whispered as he traced his fingers across the name carved in marble. "I need to ask your opinion about something."  
-----------------------------------------------------  
  
Jun never really liked her brother, but she loved him dearly. When he left for Kamiya, she had made a big show about how glad she was to be rid of him. "Good riddance," she had said to him as he boarded his ship. Then the news of his death came, and it nearly killed her.  
  
She lost track of how many days she cried, how many times she begged God to let her take the place of her baby brother. But eventually the tears stopped, and her sorrow began to turn into anger. She was angry with herself and her parents for letting it happen, angry with Davis for leaving her. But most of her fury was directed to those who she believed had sent her brother to his death.   
  
Jun fully expected that Motomiya would go to war with Kamiya, that King Tai and his family would be made to pay. And she was outraged when her parents told her that such a thing would be a disgrace, both to the friendship of the two kingdoms, and to Davis' memory.   
  
He died a hero, they said. He died with courage and honor. None of that mattered to Jun; she only knew that her brother was dead. Her parents even consented to have him buried in the royal cemetery of Kamiya, instead of bringing him home where he belonged.  
  
Princess Jun had always been the most prominent lady of the royal court. She was in her element at balls and parties. She adored fancy clothes and gleaming jewelry. And she was sure of her ability to seduce any handsome young virgin that caught her eye.   
  
But all that changed after Davis' death. Her brother had always wanted to be a great warrior, and she set out to become one for him. For the better part of a year she trained, taking to it so naturally that it was not long before she could ride, shoot, and fight as well as any of her father's knights. And the training also helped to take the edge off her anger. She no longer felt an overpowering rage when she thought of Tai, but she still held him responsible for what had happened. She likewise could not fully forgive her parents or herself. So she decided to leave Motomiya. The island had grown too confining, too full of bad memories and feelings. She traveled to Tachikawa, where her pedigree and standing earned her a place at the royal court, and her training and air of quiet strength earned her admittance into Princess Mimi's inner circle. She quickly became great friends with Mimi and Lady Miyako. They helped her remember how to have fun, and how to forget some of the throbbing sorrow and anger she felt.   
  
Miyako, like Jun, was a female warrior. Her father, the Lord of Inoue, had declared that all of his children, even his little girl, were going to have a well-rounded education. Miyako was a naturally quick and aggressive study, and before long none of her brother's could last more than a few moments with her in the fencing ring. She was a formidable opponent on the battlefield, but her true gift was her mind. She was already designing advanced siege weaponry by the time she reached her teens. And while she enjoyed the various parties and feasts that the princess threw, Miyako was most content when drawing blueprints and mixing chemicals in her laboratory. Mimi had built it for her outside the city following the second time she blew a hole in the west wing of the palace. Miyako was cheerful and compassionate, but had a quick temper that blazed forth whenever someone she cared about was wronged.  
  
Jun came to know Princess Mimi as a just, responsible ruler. She was not always a quick thinker, but she was a cautious and deliberate one. She was honest almost to a fault, and deplored any sort of combat unless it was absolutely necessary. However, she could be absolutely ruthless if she found that there was no other way. She also shared with Jun a sense of distant, quiet hatred towards King Tai. He had killed Mimi's father in combat when Kamiya invaded Tachikawa years before.   
  
Jun's relationship with Lord Koushiro, referred to as Izzy except for ceremonial purposes, was a bit rockier. Jun did not particularly like his arrogance; a fault of which Izzy was quite proud, and believed he was entitled to. He was a master of strategy and tactics, and a combination of him and Miyako gave Mimi an unsettling amount of raw genius at her disposal. He could be a capable warrior when the need arose, though he was much more at ease making plans than following them. He and Jun shared a mutual hostility for a time, but eventually they developed a special fondness for each other, like one someone might develop for a sparring partner.  
  
Jun could never completely figure out Lord Yamato, called Matt. There always seemed to be a sharp, sorrowful glint in his eyes. But she felt at ease, even secure in his presence. And they seemed to have a sort of mutual confidence in each other. He was handsome, and in another time and place, Jun could imagine herself becoming smitten by him. But it was obvious that he was completely devoted to Mimi, and she to him. He was also the greatest warrior that Jun had ever seen.  
  
It was this group of four that Jun adopted as her friends and surrogate family. And she was with them when a man came to the palace seeking an audience with the Princess.  
  
"I am Lord Rolen." He announced with a cunning smile, and an overly dramatic bow. "Ambassador of King Ryo of Ishida, to Princess Mimi of Tachikawa and her esteemed counselors."  
  
Jun disliked him immediately; he reminded her of a cat swishing its tail before pouncing on an unsuspecting mouse. And she could tell by the way the others shifted in their seats that they shared her sentiments.   
  
Rolen swept his gaze over all of them, and Jun shivered a bit when their eyes met. She also thought that he seemed to quiver a little when his eyes came to rest on Matt, but he had recovered by the time Mimi answered his greeting.  
  
"We have heard that you were coming to Tachikawa, Lord Rolen, and I welcome you." The princess tried hard to keep her voice sounding polite. "Though I must call into question the validity of your 'king'."  
  
"An expected response, and one I'm prepared for." He gave another conniving smile as an attendant handed him a scroll. "I discovered the remarkable lad myself. And on this parchment are the marks of the required number of Ishidian lords to verify the king's claim to the throne. They have examined the lad, and to the astonishment of all, they have noted that he truly does bear the signs of the legendary House of Ishida." His eyes unconsciously drifted back towards Matt.  
  
"Good for him." Miyako chirped. "But what does that have to do with Tachikawa?"  
  
Mimi shot her a dirty look but did not say anything to chastise her.  
  
Rolen opened his mouth in a raspy chuckle. "You are telling me to get to the point." He glared at Miyako. "Very well, you see, not every lord in Ishida would like to give up complete control of his domain to their rightful king. The lords in the east are being particularly stubborn. And I have recently received word that they have gained the support of King Tai and Kamiya. Even now, his troops are readying themselves to march into Ishida."   
  
Jun felt her stomach churn as she heard the words. There had lately been reports of Kamiyian raiders on the border. And of course there was no way that she could keep Davis' face from flashing though her mind.  
  
"You acknowledge the strained relations between our two kingdoms." Mimi said the words without a trace of politeness. She was even close to being angry. "But you still have not answered the original question."  
  
"Forgive me." Rolen said with another horrible grin. He took another scroll out of an attendant's hand. This one was yellow and cracked with age. "The point is this; many long years ago, the respective King's of Ishida, and Tachikawa signed a pact. A pact saying that if either kingdom ever became embroiled in a dispute that would require military action, then the other kingdom would lend aid if asked. I'm sure the other copy of this pact is in your hall of records, probably much more preserved then this old tattered thing we had to dig up. And today I'm here to ask that Tachikawa honor this pact, and help King Ryo take back his land from invaders and dissidents alike." Rolen gave a cocky little laugh.  
  
"I'll go check the records immediately!" Izzy sprung up from his chair and raced out the door. The others were almost too stunned to move.  
  
"He will find them." Rolen said in a smug voice. "But for now, I will retire and let you talk of this with your advisors, Princess." He moved quickly out the door and was gone.  
  
"You can't believe him about that pact!" Miyako moved to Mimi's side. "And even if it's real…" she tapered off.  
  
Mimi shook her head. "We have no choice if its real. In the past, a treaty of that nature was designed with strict penalties for the side that didn't live up to its half of the bargain. This Ryo, whoever he is, could even make a claim for my throne."  
  
Matt placed a hand on her shoulder. "I could take some men down to Ishida and see exactly what's going on."  
  
"I'll go with you." Jun said immediately.  
  
"Neither of you are going anywhere!" Mimi snapped. "At least not until Izzy gets ba-"  
  
At that moment the red-haired young man came through the door. There was a slightly yellowed piece of parchment in his hand, and an angry look on his face.  
  
No one spoke for a few moments, until Mimi finally sighed. "We take half of the army and march south to Ishida. Our chief goal is to gather information, but if we have to fight," She squeezed Matt's hand. "then we fight."  
  
  
  



	3. Movements and Manipulations

disclaimer: I own only the plot. The character of Ryo was created by Takeru-san and is used with his consent and input  
==================  
  
  
In his letter, Tai had said that he hoped to have the main column of troops reach Takaishi Manor by sunset.   
  
"About another two hours then," TK said to himself as he squinted at the sun. The golden orb was already beginning to acquire an orange tint as it sunk towards the horizon. The young prince was standing in the grasslands that spread out a few hundred yards from the main gate of the castle, opposite the wheat fields and forest. He was in the process of tying together large bundles of hay for the numerous horses that would soon be encamped there. There were already about eighty bundles scattered all around him, their long shadows stretching across the grass. It was a quiet, lonely job. Especially lonely since about an hour ago, when he had sent the men who were helping him back to the castle to finish up some of the other chores.  
  
Frankly, TK was glad to have a little peace. Kari had been on a full-scale rampage since she had found out that a third of the Kamiyian army would be camped out on her doorstep. She was close to driving herself, and everyone else, crazy making all the necessary preparations. And TK could only imagine what kind of fit she would throw when she found out that Tai was going to make her ride in an armored carriage, instead of traveling on horseback with everybody else.  
  
TK sighed to himself. He knew that the main reason Kari was in such a foul mood was because she was scared. She could sense the war brewing down in Ishida. And she could feel the darkness settling across everyone she loved, and TK would have been lying if he said he could not feel it as well. He just had to keep telling himself that they would weather this storm like they had weathered all the others. He had to be confident that he could protect his family.   
  
The young prince was so caught up in these thoughts that he did not see the riders until they were only about a hundred yards away. There were three of them, coming towards him at a steady gallop. The lead rider was dressed in the bright, gaudy colors of a lord or knight. And his followers wore the same colors, though in a slightly different pattern. TK looked at them for a moment, trying to remember which nobleman wore those particular shades of orange and green. But after failing to do so, he shrugged his shoulders and went back to tying the bundles of hay. The riders were most likely advance scouts for the column, and TK figured they would just ride past him and continue on to the castle gates.  
  
The young man was proven wrong a few seconds later. The riders pulled beside him, their backs towards the sun so that he was in their shadows.  
  
"About how far back is the rest of the column?" TK asked, only slightly looking up. His current bundle of hay was a little larger than the rest, so he was having some trouble tying the small cord of rope into a knot that would hold tight.  
  
The lead rider crinkled up his nose as if he smelled something rotten. "I am Sir Persig of Adonin." He announced. "Take me to Prince Takeru and Princess Hikari." He ordered in a bored tone. The knight was at most, two years older than TK. He was pudgy, with a fair, oily complexion, and limp black hair. His mouth was twisted up in a chubby sneer, and his small, dark eyes gleamed with arrogance.  
  
TK smiled a little to himself. He guessed that he probably did not look too princely at the moment. He was dressed in only a pair of worn trousers, his shirt having been discarded sometime earlier, and now laying forgotten somewhere in the grass. He was covered in sweat, and stray pieces of hay were tangled in his golden hair.  
  
"The Princess is over at the castle." He said in a polite voice. "I'm not quite sure where the Prince is." He gave Sir Persig and his followers a quick smile, and then turned his attention back to wrestling with the bundle of hay. He thought to himself that the name Adonin sounded familiar.  
  
"I didn't ask where they were, boy." The knight narrowed his eyes at TK. "I told you to take me to them." His voice was filled with blatant contempt. He turned his horse so that its shoulder knocked the young man away from the bundle.  
  
TK felt a bright flame of rage suddenly spring up in his chest. His hands unconsciously curled into fists. His eyes narrowed dangerously, the blue in them started to freeze. "What did you say to me?"  
  
Persig's nostrils flared in anger. "I said, boy, that you had best take me to your masters at once! I would have thought they'd have taught you how to respect your betters when you were a slave!" He gave a harsh chuckle as his followers grinned in amusement. "Or was disrespect why they took the flog to you so often?"  
  
He reached behind his back and pulled a small horsewhip from a saddlebag. "Perhaps my men and I should try to teach you some right now." He sneered.  
  
TK felt fresh waves of rage and shame wash over him. He had always been self-conscious about the large black S that had been burnt into his shoulder as a child, and of the leathery scars that criss-crossed his back like cat scratches. And to hear someone like Persig taunt him like that made his blood burn. His muscles pulled themselves taut as his eyes turned fully into ice. The corners of his mouth turned up in the faintest warning of a wolf smile.  
  
In the back of his mind, TK knew that all he had to do was say who he was. Then Persig would be on his knees in a matter of seconds, his face pale and blubbering as he begged for pardon. But he thought it would be much more interesting if he just pulled the bastard out of the saddle and beat him to death. The other two would try to help, so he would have to take a few moments to reach up and snap their necks, the bigger one on the right first. But he should be able to take it slowly with the fat little knight.  
  
He would have done it too, and neither Persig nor his two followers could have stopped him. But right before his hands started to reach upward, a large stone came hurtling out of nowhere to hit the knight square in the side of the head.  
  
"Who dares?" Persig screeched as he wheeled his horse around to the direction of the attack. He did not notice how TK suddenly turned ashen, and stepped back with a look of disbelief and horror on his face.  
  
"I suppose I dare. If you want to phrase it that way." Cody said casually, as he slowly came towards them on an old gray donkey. The young monk wore the same coarse, brown robes that were his trademark, though his current apparel was a little more travel stained than usual. His bowl shaped hair was a bit overgrown, and his hands and face were smudged with dirt. His expression was as impassive as stone, and his dark eyes seemed to be glazed with boredom. Only his closest friends would have been able to tell that he was almost exploding with fury.  
  
"And who, may I ask, is inquiring?"  
  
"I am Sir Persig of Adonin." The knight sat up straight, and threw out his flabby chest. "Now tell me who you are, before I order my men to beat the answer out of you!"  
  
"Well we wouldn't want that, would we?" the young monk responded with a narrow grin. "I am Brother Cody of the Hidian Order." He pulled back the side of his robe to expose the heavy mace hanging from his belt.  
  
"Yes, that Brother Cody." He said sarcastically to the suddenly very pale knight and his followers.  
  
"M-my lord!" Persig sputtered. "I-I had no idea! My sincerest apologies!" All three riders quickly bowed their heads.  
  
"That's no way to beg forgiveness." Cody said in a cross voice. "All of you get on your knees and kiss the Lord's blessed earth, quickly now. And don't move an inch until I tell you to."  
The three men just about dived out of their saddles to throw themselves prostrate on the ground. They lay absolutely motionless except for the nervous sweat that gathered on their brows.  
  
"Cowards." Cody whispered to himself. "Sniveling brats." He had been having a perfectly happy summer preaching and teaching in the eastern coastal villages. And he had been just about ready to journey towards the capital to spend a few weeks with his friends when Tai's scouts had found him. The whole idea of sending a force down to Ishida frustrated him to no end. But he thought that by traveling to Takaishi Manor ahead of the army, he would at least be able to spend a few reasonably quiet days with his two best friends. Unfortunately, a series of inconveniences had delayed him considerably, and had already spoiled his mood long before he arrived to find the present situation.  
  
Cody glanced over at TK, wondering if he should inform Persig of just exactly whom he had so outrageously insulted. But the young monk only had to take a quick look at his friend before immediately deciding that it would be best just to send the knight and his followers on their way.  
  
It was all TK could do to keep himself from throwing up. He could hear his heart beating wildly in his ears, and his hands shook uncontrollably. He could feel the darkness slowly draining out of his veins, leaving a cold sensation to linger in his body like a bad aftertaste. He had not even felt it gnawing at him; it had just crept up like a mouse and slipped fluidly and naturally into control. He was so scared by the realization; he wanted to curl up in a ball and cry.  
  
"Go back to the column and tell the King that all is ready for his arrival. " Through a haze, TK heard Cody say the words to the three men on the ground. "Consider yourselves officially chastised by the crown. And may the good Lord help you if either the Queen or the Princess ever find out about this."  
  
There was a sudden rush of sounds as Persig and his men jumped to their feet, clambered up on their horses, and then went galloping off as fast as they could. TK's mind latched onto the familiar noises; used them as footholds to climb out of the paralyzing fear. He managed to lift his head and keep his gaze mostly steady as he looked at Cody.  
  
The young monk watched with a thin frown as the three men rode away. Then he gave a small sigh and slid off his mount, which had been lazily eating grass during the entirety of the confrontation.  
  
"You had a dangerous look in your eyes." Cody said in a hushed voice. He moved slowly towards TK, keeping his gaze turned towards the ground as he shook the thick, brown dirt from his robes.   
  
The young prince gave a small nod. "I'll take your donkey over to the stables. Kari already has your room set up if you need a rest." His voice trembled with the fear. And his words were meant to suggest that he wanted to be alone.  
  
Cody caught the meaning immediately, but he thought solitude was the worst thing his friend could experience at the moment. "Oh, he's not my donkey." He launched into conversation with a casual tone. "I was merely walking along, enjoying God's beautiful land, when I happened to pass this fellow standing out in a field. He looked to me like he would enjoy a nice change from his normal routine of not moving, and my feet were getting somewhat tired. So I decided to borrow him for a few days. Now that our journey is complete, I expect he'll just wander on home."  
  
As if awaiting permission, the old donkey stopped eating long enough to turn around and begin a leisurely walk back to wherever it was he called home, his stringy tail swishing behind him.  
  
TK gave a small, polite smile. He had always found that Cody's firm, sometimes restless voice could have a comforting effect in certain situations, even if the words he spoke were sometimes bordering on ridiculous. He took a deep breath and looked out at the fields around him, blinking his eyes several times as if needing to convince himself that it was real.  
  
Cody studied him warily. He had never been told of the horrible secret his friend harbored, but he had fought beside him enough times to know TK's eyes had a creased, pained look when he was in battle. And one day, during the fighting following King Claudius' death, Cody had glanced into the young prince's eyes between sword strokes. And in that briefest of seconds, TK's eyes had momentarily taken on a look of such cold ruthlessness, that the young monk had felt the breath cringe in his lungs. The ruthless look had almost immediately been replaced by one of anguish and fear, but Cody still felt inclined to keep a close, protective watch over his friend.  
  
"Where exactly is Adonin?" TK asked suddenly, his mind diverting itself to other topics in an effort to control the simmering fear. "I was trying to remember, but the thought just wouldn't come to me."  
  
Cody was somewhat startled by the randomness of the question, but he responded in a knowledgeable voice. "Its up in the Northwest, Lord Rordan's territory."  
  
"That's right." The young prince responded as his memory was sparked. "He's Sora's friend, the one that was with her and Davis at Mt. Julian."  
  
Cody gave a solemn nod as images of the young, foolishly brave knight passed through both their minds. "If I remember correctly." He said after a moment. "That brat Persig is Rordan's son."   
  
Cody regretted saying the name immediately. He winced reflexively and looked at his friend out of the corner of his eye.  
  
TK acted as if he had not heard. "I really have to get some chores finished at the stables." He said. "I'll see you at dinner." He started off across the fields without waiting for a response.  
  
Cody watched him for a second, debating whether to go after him or just leave him alone. And after a few moments he decided that he was really was too tired to keep his friend constantly under watch. He also knew that there was only one person that TK would talk to about something like what had just happened, and he was not that person.  
  
"Watch over him, Lord." He whispered to the spreading horizon. Then he gave a small sigh and began moving towards the castle, hoping that he would be able to get a decent nap before the column arrived.   
  
TK had gone only about twenty paces before his hands started to shake again, and a cold dread settled in the pit of his stomach. He felt his heart start to race, so he began to concentrate on the grass and trees, anything to keep his attention occupied. But his mind kept drifting back to the horrible fact that if Cody had not come along, he would have murdered the three men without the slightest amount of hesitation or qualms. The darkness would made have made it so he enjoyed it, and that thought alone was enough to make his mouth go dry.  
  
As he came closer to the stable door, an overwhelming weariness came over him. He suddenly and desperately needed Kari; he needed to feel her, and smell her hair, and to hear her breathe. And to his great relief and surprise, he only had to open the door, and an instant later his princess was in his arms.  
  
"I felt it." She whispered. "I was checking to make sure that dinner was coming along okay, and then suddenly I could just feel it, like a part of my heart going numb." She held him as closely and tightly as she could. The feeling had scared her more than she wanted to let on, but the fear seemed to fall away from her as she listened to the quick beating of his heart.  
  
TK felt an immense relief sweep over him. The darkness that dwelt in his heart hated Kari just as much as he loved her. It cowered before her light, and it was only when TK held her that he did not have to be afraid of it.  
  
"I didn't even feel it." He said in a soft voice. "I started to get angry, and then all of a sudden it had control." He kissed the top of her golden-brown hair before laying his head down on her own.  
  
"We'll beat it back." Kari responded immediately. Her eyes were clenched shut and her head rested on his chest. "We've beaten it at every turn, and I'm not going to lose you to it now."  
  
For the next few moments, neither of them spoke. And the only sounds were of the horses snorting and stamping in their stalls. The prince and princess held each other tightly, almost afraid to let go. And without realizing it, they began to slowly rock and sway. Watching them there in that stable, it would be easy to understand that which would be written of them many years later, that both their greatest strength and their greatest weakness lay in their complete dependence on each other.  
  
"I promised Lucas I'd lead the men in some drills before the column got here." TK spoke finally in a hushed, tired voice. "He wants everyone looking experienced and professional when he shows them off to the other captains."  
  
Kari could not keep herself from giggling, and the musical sound of her laughter forced TK to grin. "Hasn't he learned yet, that you couldn't lead a drill even if you wanted to?" she asked, turning to gently kiss the spot on his chest where she had been resting her head.  
  
"You don't know how to lead or command." She continued as she looked lovingly up into his eyes. "All you know how to do is to charge straight into whatever threat, or challenge lays ahead of you. And it just so happens that there are people with so much faith in you, that they'll ride right on your heels the whole way."  
  
TK reached down to cup her face in his hands. "But you're the one that gives me the courage and strength to charge." He said, and then he kissed her.  
  
TK did not lead any drills that afternoon, nor did Kari attend to the myriad of small tasks and chores she had planned. They just crept up to their room and promptly fell asleep in each other's arms. And the sun had been down for almost an hour when they were finally awakened by Lucas knocking on their door.   
  
"Dinner is already being served in the main hall!" His muffled voice came through the heavy oak. "And the King has called together his counsel!" His tone suggested that he was nearing an advanced state of nervous panic.  
  
Without a word, the couple hastily rolled out of bed and began throwing on their formal clothes. Kari moved over to the window as she pulled her housedress over her head. Their room overlooked the main gate, and out in the meadow she could see the numerous campfires around which the common soldiers were being served their dinner. Their flickering light made her think of giant fireflies coming to rest.  
  
She was startled from her thoughts by a resumed banging on the door. "The hosts usually aren't the last ones to the table!" Lucas called in an agitated voice.  
  
Behind her, Kari heard TK curse as he realized he had put his trousers on backward. She ran past him to the closet, and threw his shirt at him as she began to pull on her gown. She hurriedly fastened all the laces and straps, and then turned back to TK as he was clasping his cloak around his shoulders. She stood up on her tiptoes to smell his hair, making sure that it did not reek too horribly of dried sweat. And then they both dashed to the door. Lucas stood outside, dressed in his captain of the guard uniform, and TK and Kari stood still as he looked them over.  
  
"Crowns." He said, nodding at their bare heads.  
  
This time Kari cursed as she rushed back inside the room, darting over to the ornately carved wooden box that stood on a table near the bed. She quickly opened it, and carefully removed two circlets made of finely pressed gold. She moved back to the door and handed one of the crowns to TK as she set the other one on her head. Lucas gave a final nod of approval, and then the three of them started off down the hall.  
  
The events and fears of the afternoon seemed hazy and distant after the hours of sleep. And neither TK nor Kari gave them much more than a few quick flashes of attention as they moved through the castle corridors at a rather brisk pace. Then they started down the stairway leading to the main dining hall, and most of their thoughts were put on hold as they heard a herald announcing their arrival at the bottom of the stairs.  
  
The main hall of Takaishi Manor was rather small compared to those in other castles; Kari liked to think of it as intimate. But it looked positively tiny with all the assorted lords and knights pressed so tightly around the oaken table that their shoulders rubbed together. But every one of them jumped to their feet to salute the Prince and Princess, their chairs screeching along the floor as they were pushed back. The torches along the walls bathed their faces in bold, flickering color.  
  
Kari felt her face flush with embarrassment at their late arrival, and she reflexively took TK's hand in her own as they bowed in greeting. A few of the older lords who knew them well came forward to personally say hello, shaking hands with TK and giving Kari a quick peck on the cheek before returning to their seats. Farther down the table, the younger nobles looked at them with mouths hanging open in awe. They turned to each other and whispered about the all the stories they had heard.  
  
Tai sat at the head of the table, with Sora, Jyou, and Lord Rordan at his right. Kari sat down at his immediate left, with TK next to her, and he next to Cody. Lucas had already managed to slip into his chair on the other side of the young monk.  
  
Tai could not keep himself from cracking a boyish grin as he leaned across the table to talk to TK. "Women." He commented. "Can't they ever manage to get ready ahead of time?"  
  
Sora and Kari both kicked him under the table at the same time, causing everyone near them to break into laughter.  
  
"My Prince and Princess." Lord Rordan spoke out as the peals of laughter began to subside, his old face beaming behind his fluffy silver beard. "I would like you to meet my son. The freshly knighted Sir Persig." He put his hands on the shoulders of the young man in the chair next to him.  
  
TK felt himself go rigid as he noticed his afternoon antagonist sitting across table. He squeezed Kari's hand as he suddenly felt the memories and feelings from earlier suddenly come rushing back into focus. Kari squeezed his hand back. Some emotional instinct made her dislike the young knight immediately.  
  
"It is an h-honor t-to meet you." Persig stammered. He was sweating like a hog. It had been bad enough for him to have to sit across from the glaring eyes of Cody, but he was scared almost thoughtless by the realization that he had insulted and almost attacked Prince Takeru, the Iron Prince, the greatest warrior in the kingdom. He also noticed with ever mounting fear that the Princess Hikari was giving him a look of distinct unfriendliness, her soft brown eyes suddenly becoming hard as stone. And to top it off, Queen Sora had somehow taken note of the wordless exchange, and was examining him with a critical, almost threatening eye.  
  
"Sweetest, most beautiful young ladies you could ever hope to meet." Persig's father had once described the Queen and Princess to him. "But even God himself won't be able to help you if you should so much as say an unflattering word about someone they consider dear. They'll turn as mean and nasty as she-wolves guarding their cubs. Chew you to pieces those two little ladies will."  
  
"Excuse me." Persig whimpered as he jumped up from his chair and darted out of the room. There was no way he would be able to eat dinner with the royal females thinking of ways to tear him apart.  
  
"Wonder what's wrong with him?" Lord Rordan asked, before shrugging and delving back into conversation with Tai and Jyou. They were talking about possibly building a children's school when the mess in Ishida was finally worked out. They were as nervous as anyone about what could happen down in the foreign land, but it helped them to keep calm by focusing on the future.  
  
"I've been giving him the evil eye for the past half-hour." Cody whispered to TK. "Must have finally gotten to him."  
  
The young prince found himself laughing for no real reason, and once again his worries seemed to melt away. He turned to Kari to say something, but she was already deep in talk with Sora. The queen seemed to be edging around the subject of carriages. So he just looked at his family gathered around him, letting himself fall into the warmth and safety they offered. He gave a small smile and then remarked to Tai and the others that he knew of a very good teacher.  
  
"She taught me to read." He said with a final squeeze of Kari's hand.  
  
A quiet night passed for the royal family, as well as for every other soldier of Kamiya. All plans for the expedition into Ishida had been completed, all supplies were packed and ready to go. And the universal feeling was one of mostly confident expectation. Everyone thought that as long as they watched out for each other, then nothing could hope to overcome them.  
  
But perhaps, if they could have caught a glimpse of the hardships and heartbreak that awaited them, they could have changed a few things, been more cautious and watchful, more perceptive. And maybe if they had done this, they could have protected their heart and soul, instead of leaving them open to be ripped out.  
  
-----------------------------------------   
Three weeks later  
  
  
Matt did not like it one bit. The Tachikawan force was traveling through an area of stiflingly dense forest. The pace was horribly slow, sometimes stopping entirely so low hanging branches could be cut away to make room for the carriages and wagons. And the path was so narrow that no more than three riders could travel comfortably side by side.  
  
The guides supplied by the "King" of Ishida had assured him that the stretch of forest was completely safe. But the instincts of a soldier had been beaten into Matt as a child, and every one of those instincts was screaming at him that the narrow trail was the perfect place for an ambush, and that all of his men were strung out for miles ahead and behind him, hardly an ideal defensive arrangement.  
  
He sighed and twisted around in his saddle. Behind him, Jun looked as if she was having many of the same thoughts. Her dark eyes methodically scanning the trees and bushes around her. She noticed him watching her, and met his eyes with a sympathetic frown.  
  
"Why don't you try to wind your way up front and see how much longer this is going to take?" He said, thinking that it would do her good to move around a little, and that it would do him good to know the answer.  
  
"Right." She nodded, kicking her horse into a canter. As she rode past him, they exchanged light punches on the arm, a sign of friendship and mutual confidence they had adopted.   
  
Matt watched her squeeze her way past a supply wagon before turning around again. Izzy and Miyako were about ten yards farther back. They were riding so close together that their knees touched, and studying some large, unfolding diagram that spread over both their saddles and hid their faces. They were arguing in low, quick voices, and by all signs were completely oblivious to what was happening around them.  
  
Matt felt a flash of annoyance. Considering the situation, he thought it would be good if the two of them would pay attention for once. He opened his mouth to yell at them, but then he saw Miyako's hand reach down to feel her sword, making sure it was still there. Matt chose to take it as a sign that they were on guard, so he swallowed the shout and turned to face forward. He rode on in silence for a while, trying to keep himself from going completely insane with anxiety. And then he heard a quick series of hoof beats as a page rode up beside him.  
  
"Princess Mimi wants to speak with you, Lord Yamato, sir." The boy gave him a crisp salute. "Her carriage is about a hundred yards towards the rear of the line."  
  
Matt nodded. "Stay here until Lady Jun gets back. Tell her where I've gone, and that she's in charge." He slowly began to turn his horse around on the cramped path. "And tell her to try to tighten up the line, we can't risk anyone getting isolated."  
  
He kicked his horse into an easy trot, quickly passing Izzy and Miyako, neither of whom seemed to notice. But he had to pick his way through the stream of men, horses, and wagons with agonizing slowness. He stopped a few times to pass along orders to his officers, and at one point he dismounted to help untangle a wagon axel which had become caught up in some creeper vines. He could feel a headache starting to form by the time he slowed his horse to a walk beside Mimi's carriage. The sight of which made him scowl in frustration.   
  
"You should keep your guards pulled in tighter." He told her in an irritated voice. "And for Christ's sake, slide the armored plates over the windows. You're too vulnerable in this damn forest without them."  
  
Mimi kept silent as she looked up at him. She was in no great mood herself, she was tired, and she felt horribly grimy and oily. But she knew that Matt was on edge, and that he did not want to hear that the sunlight helped her to think, or that the guards were in the standard formation for the situation.  
  
"I'll take care of all that once we've talked." She said in a calm voice, staring into his beautiful, fierce blue eyes. 'Hunter's eyes' she called them, always sharp and aware, always probing and testing for weaknesses, and always finding them, usually in himself. It amazed her sometimes, how such harsh, avian eyes seemed to melt when he looked at her.  
  
Mimi blinked as she found herself lost in her thoughts. She looked down at the papers spread across her lap. They were profiles of the Kamiyian royal family and their strongest supporters, those most likely to accompany King Tai as he marched into Ishida. It was a formidable force, she had to admit, several veteran campaigners, well-trained troops. The royal family in itself boasted three spectacular warriors, possibly a fourth, if the Lord of Kido were to take up a sword again. And by all reports the warriors under the Kamiyian prince were the most dangerous in the world.  
  
"Here." She gathered up all the papers and handed them through the window to Matt. "Jun wanted to read them when I was finished. Izzy and Miyako might want to take a look too." It went without saying that Matt would read them on the ride back to his place in the line.   
  
Matt studied the name on the top paper of the stack. It was Prince Takeru. He felt a minor stirring of some feeling that was hard to categorize, like receiving the slightest taste of a complex meal and then having to name all the ingredients. His brother was dead, he finally told himself. He had hoped for a long time that this fact was untrue, but in the end his delusions had only cost him more pain. There were other people in the world that bore the name Takeru, the greatest warrior of an opposing kingdom simply happened to be one of them.  
  
"You made me ride through this mess just to be your errand boy?" He asked in a chiding voice, masking the slight hint of pain his conclusions caused him.  
  
"Not entirely, no." Mimi answered. She furrowed her brow and stared at the opposite wall of the carriage.  
  
"All the reports from our agents in Kamiya say that the King is a just, benevolent ruler. Tai and his family have made the kingdom stable again, made its people prosperous and happy, and perhaps more importantly, given them back their freedom and pride."   
  
"The reports do say that." Matt agreed half-heartedly as he leafed through the papers.  
  
"So why would Kamiya agree to play any part in a foreign war? Why would they try to depose this King Ryo? And what possible reason could they have for attacking us at the same time?" Mimi looked up at him, tension and weariness evident in her eyes.  
  
"Lots of reasons." Matt answered. "If Ishida is united, it'll be capable of rivaling Kamiya in sheer power. Tai sends an army down to keep the country divided, and sends raiders across our border to warn us to keep out of it. Tai probably does love his people, loves them enough to go to great lengths to keep them prosperous and happy."  
  
"I've already thought of all that." Mimi sighed and put her head in her hands. "And something about it just doesn't seem right. I feel like I'm about to make a horrible mistake."  
  
Matt frowned. "You're worried that any personal feelings toward Tai will color your decisions. You're worried that you might push us into a private war because he killed your father."  
  
Mimi stared up at him. "Look at Jun. She's almost willing to believe that Tai crucified Christ because of what happened to her brother. And there's so much we don't know about everything, and I don't trust this Lord Rolen or his king any farther than I can throw them."  
  
She clenched her teeth and ran her fingers through her hair. "I'm just terrified that I'll be twisted around so much that I won't know which end is up."  
  
Matt's winced as he felt the barely controlled pain in her voice. He leaned down and gently caressed her cheek. "Listen to me Meems." He whispered, using his nickname for her. "We're all going to come through this okay, because you're going to keep us together. No one on this earth is capable of making you do something you don't want to." He gave her a thin but genuine smile. "You have too much spoiled princess in you to ever be forced into anything."  
  
"I hope you're right." She whispered reaching up her arms to pull him closer.  
  
"I know I am." He answered, moving his head a little so that he could kiss her. "Have I told you lately that I love you?"  
  
"Yes." She answered with a little bit of a laugh. "But I can always stand to hear it again."  
  
He smiled and caught her in a lingering kiss. "I'll always love you." He whispered as he slowly pulled away from her. "Never doubt that."  
  
Mimi held his hand against her cheek and lost herself for a moment in his eyes. Should I tell him? She wondered. "No." she told herself. "Wait until all of this is over and done, don't cloud his thinking like you've clouded your own."  
  
"I love you so much." She said out loud.  
  
Matt smiled at her, and he started to say something, but then he heard a sound, very far off and faint, but also familiar. Instinctive alarms sounded in his mind. He forced his body rigid, and strained his ears against the dull noise all around him.  
  
Mimi recognized the change in his posture and immediately put herself on guard. "What is it?" She whispered. She would have said more, but he shushed her with his eyes, so she remained and silent and glanced cautiously around them.  
  
A few seconds later Matt heard it again, not so far off this time, but still mostly unrecognizable except for a hint of belonging to something bad. He grimaced in frustration over his inability to make it out over the din.  
  
"Halt!" Mimi suddenly shouted, bringing her carriage and the riders around her to an immediate stop. And in the very first second of silence the sound rang loud and clear.  
  
It was a scream, one of pure desperate panic and terror. It was coming from somewhere inside the forest on the other side of the carriage.  
  
Almost at once Matt was shouting orders. "Sound the signal for defense positions!"  
  
One of the riders near him brought a curved horn to his lips and sounded a series of deep, low, bursts.  
  
Mimi started to open her carriage door, but Matt pushed it shut. "Stay in there!" He ordered. "And pull the goddamn plates over the windows!"   
  
The Princess nodded reluctantly and began to slide the heavy steel shutters over the opened windows.  
  
Matt looked around wildly as the scream came again. "You five!" he pointed to five of his men riding behind the carriage. "With me!"  
  
Without another thought he went charging into the dense forest, his horse leaping over the first line of tangled bushes. He heard the scream again and pointed his mount towards it. He spurred his horse on as fast as he dared, but he also loosened his grip on the reins and let the snorting beast choose its own way through the maze of crooked trees and overgrown shrubs.  
  
He was not sure how long he had been riding when he caught sight of Jun. She seemed to be an extension of her pale brown charger as they galloped parallel to him, about fifty yards to his left. He risked a few quick glances around himself, and noticed that other horseman besides the five behind him were plunging through the forest.  
  
The scream came again, this time with others rising up around it, and Matt thought he saw a clearing up ahead. The acrid stench of burning flesh reached his nostrils, repulsing him, but at the same time making him feel strangely confident. There was battle and death up ahead. He was nearing his element.   
  
His mind was suddenly filled with images from years ago. He had been born with an evil inside him, that he knew. But the evil was as much a part of him as his arms and legs, and that was why he blamed himself for what had happened to his family. Matt thought the evil had led the Marauders to him, not simple chance. The Marauders, his masters, knew about the evil somehow, and they forced it to the surface. They made him fight for his life, such gruesome, uneven battles that the only way he survived was by letting the evil take control of him.  
  
Matt did not remember much of the next few years. All he could recall was a universal numbness that left him uncaring and unfeeling. Only in battle, in killing, did he feel anything at all, and that which he felt was a sensation of pure ecstasy. And he thought he remembered a shallow feeling of contentment, something that came to him when he began to realize that the Marauders, those who had made him what he was, now feared him.  
  
Then there was the day when the evil relinquished control. It was like waking from a bad dream. One moment there was darkness, and the next he was on his horse, riding down some old trail. The horse wheezed as it ran, its feet falling heavy with exhaustion. Matt remembered that his armor was slick with blood and sweat. And in his hand he griped the handle of a broken sword. The trail had led to the burnt out farm that had once been his home, and it was there that everything that had happened finally caught up to him.  
  
Matt had not felt the evil, the darkness, since. Not even when he probed the depths of his soul could he make it stir. And as time passed, he began to lose his fear of it. Mimi's flashing eyes and tender embrace had helped greatly in that.  
  
So it was that Matt did not worry about keeping his darkness in check as his horse cleared the final hurdle of shrubs and landed in the clearing. All at once he absorbed the scene, a small village, no more than twenty crude mud huts, half of which were burning. Women and children screaming as foot soldiers in black chain mail herded them into the center of the clearing, the original scream lost in the chorus. The dead or wounded men sprawled out in the dirt.  
  
Jun, and other riders soon burst out of the forest around him. And without waiting for any orders, charged ahead to engage their apparent opponents.  
  
The soldiers in black, and Matt saw terror and surprise in their eyes as the Tachikawans bore down on them. Most did not even attempt to fight, but only turned and ran. The ones who stood and raised their swords did not last very long. Matt struck two of them down almost immediately. And out of the corner of his eye he saw Jun cut the throat of another. But that was all he saw in terms of opposition. The soldiers in black who had stood their ground, or even just hesitated, had been cut down in moments. Those who had fled into the forest were being pursued.   
  
Matt and his riders wheeled their horses around looking for more fight. The roar of battle was still running through them, keeping them on edge. It was the sight of women and children cowering on the ground, too afraid to even scream anymore that finally brought Matt fully to his senses.  
  
"Take care of them." He ordered. "Check their injuries as best you can and then get them to a medical wagon."  
  
He kept his eyes on the forest where the soldiers had fled, not letting himself relax until he saw his men return. Some with blood displayed on their swords.  
  
"Matt." He heard Jun call in a curiously anxious voice. "You should look at this." She was kneeling beside the body of the man she had killed, and as Matt rode up he quickly saw what it was that had gained her attention.  
  
Beneath the black mail, the dead man had on a bold red shirt, proudly displaying the midday sun that was the seal of the House of Kamiya. Sharps rays of golden light shot out of the sun, indicating that the Kamiyian king was at war.  
  
"Shit." Matt whispered. He felt a sudden sorrow pass through him, and he was not quite sure why. He heard the sound of rustling leaves, and seconds later Mimi, accompanied by Izzy, Miyako, and few guards, emerged from the forest and stepped into the tortured little village.  
  
A shameful blush crept into the faces of Matt's riders, and they bowed their heads like guilty children under a mother's inspection. Embarrassed by the crimes committed even though they were the ones who stopped them.  
  
Mimi took in the entire scene with one vast sweep of her soft brown eyes. Her shoulders slumped as she saw the dead Kamiyian soldier, and a despairing look came over her face.  
  
The look made Matt understand his own sudden sorrow. He and Mimi, and probably everyone else had been hoping that Kamiyians were not truly their enemies, that there was some explanation behind the march of Tai's army into Ishida. They had been hoping that Kamiya was just another pawn in the shifty game they suddenly found themselves caught up in. And one ruthless attack on a helpless little village was all it took to rip those hopes into tiny pieces.  
  
Matt got off his horse and walked over to Mimi, intending to comfort her. But he stopped short when he realized that his princess was trembling with rage, all the sorrow and despair suddenly changing to anger.   
  
"Fine." She said. Her fists were clinched and there was thunder in her eyes. "If they want war, we'll give it to them."  
-----------------------------------------------  
  
  
Lord Rolen could not remember a time when he had been happier, he was giddy even. And all of it was because fate had chosen to shine on him. He was living a life of luxury in the same castle that had housed the Ishidian king for centuries, now rebuilt from the crumbling ruin it had become after King Justin's fall. Powerful men heaped wealth at his feet, beautiful women attended to his every wish and desire. And his power spread with every passing moment.   
  
Across from Rolen sat the same awkward man that had first come to him months ago. The man's bleach white skin seemed positively eerie in the flickering fire of the hearth. And his bold yellow eyes reflected the light as those of a cat might. He sat perfectly silent and motionless, the absolute opposite of Rolen, who squirmed and laughed in his drunkenness.  
  
"Have some wine." Rolen said to him in too loud a voice. "It'll put a little color in those bland cheeks of yours, eh?" he chuckled to himself.  
  
The pale man folded his long, spindly arms in his lap. "My apologies for not being able to share in your mirth. But my masters and I still feel some uncertainty in regards to your plan." He flashed Rolen a warning smile, showing off his rows of sharp little teeth.  
  
"My plan is bearing fruit even as we speak." Rolen answered back. "That old, naive fool Artur is leading the Kamiyians right into the thick of our trap. And the Tachikawans will be ready and eager to meet them, as I've made sure of today."  
  
"And that does trouble me." The man said with a dramatic frown. "What would have happened if any of your disguised men had been caught and interrogated?"  
  
"Bah." Rolen dismissed the question with a wave of his hand. "They knew nothing in the first place. And besides, I had a slow acting poison put in their morning meals. They would never have lived long enough to be interrogated." He laughed at his own cleverness.  
  
"Face it my gangly friend. The only way we shall not succeed is if your masters do not hold up their end of the bargain."   
  
The pale man tensed up as if he had been personally insulted. "Our forces are massed at the Northern gate of the mountains. They await only a sign that all is ready."  
  
Rolen leaned forward in his chair, a dark, ravenous glint in his eyes. "Then we have nothing at all to worry about."  
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	4. The Name

Disclaimer: I own only the plot. The character of Ryo was created by Takeru-san, and is used with his input and consent.  
A/N: I'm not sure if this is going to work right with all the stuff going on at the site, but if it's screwed up I'll just repost later. This story should have two more chapters, and I hope to have it done by around Christmas. But I must warn you that I'm also working on another story that has already become dear to my heart, even though most of it exists only in my head. It has the working title of "I Guess This Is Growing Up." (Who can tell me what song that is a reference to?) And it is about TK and Kari having a baby while they are only fourteen, and not necessarily in love either. There are so many things I want to do with this story, and I can't really put them all into this A/N. So just be looking for it. Thank you.  
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Ryo knew he really had nothing to complain about. He had a warm bed, and soft, silky clothes to wear. And people were always bringing him the richest, most wonderful food. He would have liked to be let out of his room more often, but Lord Rolen kept reassuring him that it was for his own safety, that there were many people out there who would like to do him harm. The boy could never fully accept this answer, but he was reluctant to press the subject to the shifty, often dangerous lord.  
  
As it was, the only time he ever left his room was when Rolen personally brought him out, always to present him with much fanfare to roomfuls of supporters. Many of these were always very old men, their bodies barely able to bear the weight of the heavy armor they wore. Their eyes would grow wide and pool up with tears when they saw Ryo. And they would kneel before the boy and kiss his feet, their faces beaming with joy as the tears rolled down their cheeks. "At last. At last." they would exclaim. "Our King has returned to us."  
  
Rolen loved it when the old men did this. He would put an arm around their frail shoulders and lead them away, whispering in their ears about how they could help their king. But these scenes always made Ryo feel horrible. Deep inside himself, he knew he was lying maliciously to the old men. They were making him into the fulfillment of generations of hopes and dreams, they were putting every last bit of faith they had in him. The boy knew that he did not deserve the old men's tears of joy, he was not strong enough to accept them, and he was only multiplying their eventual suffering by standing there in silence as they wept at his feet. He was not the one they were waiting for, and he would have given anything to hasten that one's arrival.  
  
Ryo often fell asleep to these thoughts. And they routinely brought him horrible nightmares that left him trembling with tears. But one night, he had a dream that was unlike the others.  
  
It began with a feeling like being swept along upon waves. And as the boy slowly opened his dreams eyes, he became aware that he was in a place composed entirely of swirling gray and white fog. He could feel a gentle breeze on his face, and he slowly dipped and rose on invisible currents of air. But none of these were the most distinguishing feature of the dream place. For all around him floated feelings of melancholy and soft, weeping sorrow. The air was thick with these whispered emotions, and they flowed through Ryo unheeded, bringing sparkling tears to his eyes. They made his heart and soul moan, and he suddenly and desperately wanted to go home, even though he had no home to speak of.  
  
Ryo felt like he had floated in that sad realm for thousands of years, or maybe it was only a few seconds, it was impossible to tell. But eventually he became aware of something else near him in the limitless place. "What are you?" He thought to the presence, for he instinctively knew that speech was useless where he was.  
  
"Does it matter?" The presence thought back, its soundless answer somehow causing the mists to swirl and twist faster.  
  
Ryo felt the words echo in his mind like a great drum, but he remained silent for a few moments, his eyelids flickering. The dull sorrow was eating at his heart, making him feel more alone than he ever had thought possible. "Yes." He answered finally, his mental voice almost crying with anguish.  
  
The presence gave what Ryo guessed was a small laugh, the sound of small, silver bells jingled in his head. All around the boy, the mists began to acquire a silver sheen, like lightning behind storm clouds. He became aware of the sad feelings suddenly draining away as the mists wrapped around him. They now felt more solid, more secure. And Ryo found himself suddenly filled with a feeling of safety.  
  
"You could say that I am a guardian." The presence answered, its booming voice composed, but filled with the slightest bit of amusement. "I watch over a family."  
  
"The Ishidas?" Ryo asked immediately, sudden curiosity forming the words in his mind.  
  
He was answered by a sudden gust of wind that whipped his hair around his face. The boy could imagine the wind as being an angry sigh.  
  
"In the history of the world." The voice came back, dark and crackling. "There are but a handful of Ishidas who deserve protection." There was a pause, and the wind slowly died down. "It just so happens that you are one of them."  
  
Ryo furrowed his brow at the words, his thoughts forming slowly and carefully. "So I am an Ishida." He thought with a trace of unease. "Its not just another of Lord Rolen's lies."  
  
"Yes." The presence thought back. "You are of the House of Wolves, but you are a distant point. The Ishidian blood in you is thin, the darkness almost insignificant."  
  
"What am I then?" Ryo thought, shaking his head in confusion. "And what darkness? Please, I don't understand all of this?"  
  
"I would be amazed if you did." The voice echoed back, a bit of gentle merriment evident in the answer. "The bloodline of the ancient gypsies runs in you. That is why I can talk to you here in their place, in the aptly named realm of tears. You will learn of the darkness soon, but more than that is not in my power to tell."  
  
Thousands of thoughts sprang up in the boy's mind. But he quieted most of them, trying to concentrate on those that were most important. "And why have you brought me here?"  
  
"Because my family is in danger, and I will protect them however I can." The answer was strong and determined.  
  
"What family? What danger?" Ryo asked immediately.  
  
There was silence for a few moments, as the presence gave the impression of being in thought. "A small family." It answered finally, its thought voice tinged with sorrow and regret. "The world made orphans of them, so they found each other. They have been hurt many times over, but each time they only become stronger. But a time comes when they will be dealt the harshest blow of all, and it is only through you that I have a chance of helping them."  
  
"What do you mean 'only through me'?" Ryo questioned, anxiety rising in his mental voice.  
  
"Hush now, child." The voice answered softly. "Even in dreams, time is finite. And you must now listen carefully, if you are to have any hope of stopping the coming tragedy."  
  
Ryo remained silent, and the presence began speaking to him in a lulling, hypnotic voice. While the mists twisted into cloudy silhouettes of the things the presence spoke of.  
  
"There is a wolf approaching from the east. He is young, long and lanky, with eyes of perpetual sorrow, and a spirit of eternal hope. He is a warrior almost without equal, but he fears battle more than anything else. Only family can make him push forward into this land of turmoil. His courage lies in his love, a young woman to which he is bound in body, heart, and soul."  
  
Ryo could almost feel the emotions that the presence sent into the words and pictures. Pride and warm trickles of thanks and love were evident. But not so much as the strong feeling of tender, yearning regret. The boy felt the same feelings soaking into his heart, and hot tears flooded his eyes as he suddenly spoke. "Was he your son?" He did not know how or why such a question could even make sense, but he felt almost implored to ask it.  
  
There was silence for an answer. The most complete silence Ryo could ever have imagined, but it was filled with a soundless moan of anguish that tore at the boy's heart.  
  
"He would have been." The presence finally answered with a blowing whisper. "Even if things had happened differently, he would have found his way to my home somehow, fate would have seen to that. But do not trouble yourself with such questions now. Just listen."  
  
"There is a darkness that lives in the warrior," the presence continued "constantly tearing at him like a rabid animal. It takes all of his will, in addition to the will of his love, to keep the darkness from consuming him completely."  
  
The images in Ryo's mind shifted and turned, and all at once he was being told a different story.  
  
"Another wolf approaches from the West. He is strong and bold, with the clear but weary eyes of one born and raised on the battlefield. Duty drives him into war. He seeks to protect those he cares about, his lover above all others. And his greatest fear is that he will bring sorrow and death upon those who dare to love him. There is a darkness in him as well, rooted in his heart like a cancer, lying dormant until the time when it can cause the most pain."  
  
Another set of images filled Ryo's mind. And along with them came the wind, blowing in short, shrill gusts of warning, carrying the distant scent of grief and death. The boy felt himself slowly slipping away from the dream place. He was waking up, and he struggled against it as best he could.  
  
"There are those who worship the darkness, those who would see it consume the world. They are powerful, but they are afraid, for they know that the ones who will destroy them have already been conceived, and grow strong and safe in the womb. They have but one chance, one dark hope, and that is to push the wolves, the brothers, into combat against each other."  
  
"And I have to stop them." Ryo thought to the presence, struggling even more as the images and words began to fade away. "I have to keep them from fighting each other."  
  
"No." the presence thought back, its astral voice quivering with tears. "They will meet on the battlefield, and one shall fall. There is no escaping that, no matter how hard you try."  
  
Ryo felt rain hit his face as the presence began to weep. "Only when the wings of the angels are broken, when the lion cries, and the rose wilts, will there be a chance for victory." The mental voice of the presence was now no more than a plead. "You must remember then, what you will not remember now. You must speak to the seer with violet eyes, and remind him of the circle with twelve points. That is the only way."  
  
Ryo tried to shout back to the presence, tried to find a voice for all of his questions and fears. But he was already awake. The sky outside his window was turning gray. The boy sat up in his bed, desperately trying to remember everything about the dream. But all of it just evaporated into mist, and he was left only with the tears that would not stop falling from his eyes.  
----------------------------------------------  
  
  
Kari awoke from the nightmare with a start, her senses screaming at her that something had happened to TK. She lay there for a moment, frozen with terror, before realizing that it had just been a dream, and that her husband was sleeping safely beside her. She shuddered in relief as she felt his strong arms wrapped around her, one worn hand placed protectively over her stomach. His warm breath grazed the back of her neck. She blinked her eyes in the darkness and waited for her heartbeat to regain its regular rhythm. The particulars of the nightmare were already fading, all she could remember were the horrible feelings of anguish and loss that had frightened her awake. And these she wanted to forget as quickly as possible.   
  
It had almost been a month and a half since they had left the comfort and safety of Takaishi Manor, and Kari was becoming more homesick by the day. It amazed her how much she missed it, even the daily grind of making the household run without any serious problems. The young princess sighed as it once again occurred to her that the old castle had truly become her home. And she was proud of it too, proud of every drafty hallway and loose cobblestone. And of course, there was another very important reason why she wanted to be home so badly.   
  
Kari gave a wistful smile, and gently caressed the hand that TK had placed over her stomach. She could not wait to feel her baby kick for the first time, to see the look of absolute love and awe in her husband's eyes as he felt it too. And more than anything, she wanted that moment to happen in the warmth and safety of her home, not in some canvas tent during an army march. By God, if she were going to have to become bloated and fat, then she wanted to be able sit in her own chair by the fire. And there was no way she would even begin to entertain the notion that her and TK's child would be born during a military campaign, far away from the place that he or she would call home.  
  
The young princess shifted a little in her lover's arms, an inner voice telling her she was being selfish in some of her thinking. After all, the other members of her family were not faring well either.  
  
The armored carriage Kari and Sora traveled in became hot as an oven in the harsh sun, but they were hardly in it anyway. Most of their time was spent helping out wherever they could, usually by aiding Jyou and his medical team. The Lord of Kido was constantly attending to the various illnesses and injuries that plagued any prolonged march, his rock hard stability being as great an asset as his healing skills. But he was also running himself ragged, trying to take care of every cough and fever he came upon. Sora and Kari considered it a minor victory if they managed to get him to take a short nap every now and then.  
  
Tai was much worse, though. Any sleep he got was fitful, tossing and turning as Sora did her best to keep him calm and still. The young king just could not rest. Everywhere he looked he saw a land tortured by war, the common people paying the price. He was always pushing himself harder, desperate to do what was right. So far, the Kamiyian column had not come into contact with any enemy groups larger than a scouting patrol. But Tai knew this would not last long. All reports from Lord Artur's informants said that Rolen's forces were backing away from the Kamiyians, massing together in central Ishida while their Tachikawan allies rushed to join them. Tai only hoped that the forces of Artur's compatriots would soon join with the column. They would be sorely outnumbered otherwise.  
  
Kari was suddenly pulled from her thoughts as she felt TK stir beside her, lifting his head and mumbling something in his sleep before settling down again. She waited until he was still and then slowly turned around in his arms to face him. It was too dark to make out anything besides his outline, but she did not need light to see. Every inch of him, every one of his features and expressions, had been etched in her memory. She reached out a hand to gently brush away the golden hair that she just knew had fallen over his eyes. He had been absolutely exhausted earlier, barely able to pull off his armor before collapsing on the stack of large pillows that made up their bed. He had been running extended scouting runs for the past two weeks, sometimes taking Cody and Lucas with him, but usually going alone.  
  
Kari lovingly traced her fingers along his cheek. She found herself suddenly thinking back to their first nights together. She felt soft tears start to form as she saw in her mind the look in his ocean blue eyes, gentle and loving, but also scared. She remembered a few times when he would reflexively tense up when she touched him, his eyes clenching shut as if he were expecting to be struck. Other times he would be plagued by horrible dreams, shooting up from the bed in a cold sweat, too scared to even cry out. It was after one of these nightmares that TK had finally confided in Kari all the horrors that haunted him, the ones that had scarred him in mind and body. She remembered holding onto him tightly, both of them crying as he choked the words out. It was then that she made a silent vow to herself, that she would protect him always, just as he had always protected her. She knew without a doubt that she would die if she ever lost TK. She would just waste away, drained of all her hope and strength.  
  
Without really thinking, Kari leaned over and began to lightly kiss him. She trailed her lips over his mouth, then up to his nose and eyes. She placed butterfly kisses on his forehead, and then moved down to his cheeks before nuzzling his neck. TK's eyelids fluttered, and then he instinctively pulled her closer in the darkness, intent on returning the affection that had awakened him. His lips followed a similar trail over her face before tenderly meeting her mouth. Kari gave a contented sigh as she moved her head to the side, letting him bury his face in the hollow of her shoulder. She moved her hands to his back, her fingers gently trying to rub away the long white scars. They stayed that way for a few long moments, just soaking up the warmth and love of each other's presence.  
  
"Is it morning?" TK asked finally, his voice husky with sleep.  
  
"Not quite." Kari answered, rubbing her cheek against his forehead. "The watch fires are still burning."  
  
TK sighed and closed his eyes. "Tai wants to check out a monastery a ways from here. Supposedly the monks are sheltering some refugees that might be able to give us information on Rolen's troops."  
  
"I know." Kari whispered. "Sora and I are going too. She convinced Tai it would be a sign of goodwill if we brought the refugees some of the extra food and blankets."  
  
TK held her a little tighter. "Just stay close. We're not sure how stable the area is." His finger started to trace little circles on her shoulder.  
  
Kari did not answer, but slid down a little in his arms so that she could put her head on his shoulder. She put a hand up to his face and softly ran her fingers over his lips, smiling a little as he gently kissed them. She let herself relax completely, her eyes closing and her body fitting itself to his. She drifted off towards sleep.  
  
TK lay awake holding her, his calloused hands caressing her angelic face with the greatest of care. How long had it been since the first night he fell asleep with her beautiful face flashing behind his eyes? Eight years, he remembered. It had been eight years since he had first sworn never to leave the side of a heartbroken little princess. Three years since he had looked into her soft brown eyes and seen unconditional love in them, three years since he had first been able to hold her in his arms and love her. And soon their child would be born, a perfect little being made from their love.  
  
TK felt tears suddenly start to collect in his eyes. He had three brothers, a sister, a beautiful wife whom he loved more than anything, and soon he would have a baby son or daughter. Never during the nightmare he had grown up in, nor even in his wildest dreams, had TK ever imagined he would be blessed with riches such as these. And he knew that he would do anything to protect them, even brave the murdering darkness of his own heart.  
  
He leaned forward and placed a final soft kiss on Kari's pouting lips. Then he slowly began to untangle himself from hers arms and slip out of the bed. But he only got one foot on the ground before she jolted awake, immediately grabbing hold of his arm.  
  
"TK?" She whimpered. The nightmare had come again, the one where she lost him.  
  
"I'm right here, Kari." He answered, his eyes narrowing in concern. "What's wrong?"  
  
"N-nothing." She stammered. She shook her head and tried to slow her scared breathing. "W-where are you going?"  
  
"I was just going to check the watches, make sure everything is alright." He slid back into the bed, placing an arm back around her shoulder and hugging her close.   
  
Kari put her arms as tightly around him as she could. She knew it was just a bad dream, she was under a great deal of stress and nightmares were not unusual in such a situation. But the emotions felt so horribly real. Her heart was still cringing from the anguish of the dream, and there seemed to be no way to control the tears that suddenly sprang up in her eyes.  
  
"Don't l-leave me right now." She stuttered. She pulled his head next to hers and buried her face in his hair, letting her nose fill up with his familiar scent. "J-just stay here."  
  
"Okay." TK said soothingly, he could feel her frantic heartbeat. He kissed the side of her head and tenderly rubbed her back. "It was just a bad dream, Kari. There's nothing wrong."  
  
"I know." She answered softly, her voice still shivering from the fear. "But just stay here and let's hold each other. L-let's not let go of each other until we absolutely have to." She leaned back and looked into his eyes, still trying to convince herself that he was okay.  
  
TK gently cupped her face and kissed away the tears on her cheeks. "I'll never let go of you." He said.  
  
Kari sighed and laid her head on his chest. "Promise?" She asked.  
  
"Promise." He answered.  
  
"I promise I will never leave you."  
-------------------------------------  
  
  
Ken knew they were close, the poor fools with the clouds of darkness hanging over them. They would probably arrive within the hour. "We're going with them, you know." He said aloud in a detached voice. "We'll be right there with them when the storm finally breaks. When their hearts cry out in primal sorrow."  
  
The Abbot sighed. "Now why on Earth would we go with the Kamiyians?" He asked, not looking up from his writing. The quill in his hand whipped back and forth across the parchment, recording the accounts of war told to him by the refugees being sheltered at The Ichijouji Monastery.  
  
Ken gave a lethargic shrug. "I'm going with them because I'm supposed to, I've already seen myself standing with them in the mud." He turned his head in the Abbot's direction, the glow from the candlelight moving over his face. "You will go with them because of a little boy with haunting blue eyes."   
  
Something in Ken's tone made the Abbot stop writing. He thought he heard an accusation hidden in the words, or maybe he was just imagining it. Either way his heart suddenly began to sting like it had not in years. "Funny." He said in a careful voice. "I don't think I know any children with blue eyes."  
  
"I see what I see." Ken responded in his usual uncaring manner.  
  
The Abbot frowned wearily and turned around to face his pupil, his heart aching as he looked at the poor young man. Ken was sitting over by the window, his dark hair blowing limply in the chill night breeze. His legs were drawn up to his chest, his chin resting on his knees. He was thin and gaunt, having lost his desire to eat some time ago. And there was a soiled bandage wrapped around his head, covering his eyes.  
  
Horrible, gruesome visions had plagued Ken since the day he had first tried to set out from the Monastery. The young man had always been told that his fiery purple eyes would allow him to see things others could not, and his first impulse when the nightmarish sight developed had been to stop the problem at its source. The Abbot had to forcibly restrain Ken from putting out his eyes.  
  
A blindfold helped to keep the visions partly at bay. But little wisps of pictures or emotions still managed to slip through. Heart-wrenching feelings of anguish, scenes of people crying in the rain and mud, they came to Ken so often that they had almost become a part of daily life. Occasionally, the young man would receive little flashes of information, little prophecies such as the one he had relayed to the Abbot. These always came true, and though the Abbot tried to downplay them for Ken's sake, deep down both of them took the predictions as facts.   
  
"You are free to go with them if you wish." The Abbot said, turning back to his writing. "But I assure you, it will take some doing for me to leave my work."  
  
"It will take a little boy with blue eyes." Ken responded immediately, a trace of bitterness in the words.  
  
The Abbot quickly turned around again, a stern chastisement on his lips, but an excited knock sounded at the door before he could get the words out.  
  
"The Kamiyians are approaching, Abbot." One of the younger monks opened the door wide enough to stick his head in the room. "It's a rather small party under the circumstances; only about twenty warriors. And it looks like they brought some provisions with them." The young man was visibly excited by what was happening. His eyes were gleaming eagerly and he impatiently licked his lips.  
  
"Thank you, Julius." The Abbot said, getting up from his desk and smoothing out his robes. "But please remember to wait until you are invited into a room before entering, rather than inviting yourself."  
  
"Sorry, Abbot." The young man said with an embarrassed blush.  
  
"Apology accepted." The Abbot answered in a monotone voice. "I shall be down shortly. Go find some dinner for our guests, they've been traveling for most of the day."  
  
He watched the young monk nod and disappear into the darkened hall before turning back to Ken. "Well?" He asked somewhat sarcastically. "Are you going to come down and greet your traveling companions?"  
  
"In a few minutes." The young man answered softly. He turned his head to the wall.  
  
The Abbot breathed a heavy sigh. He would have done anything to spare Ken the torture he was forced to endure. He tried his best to treat him in the manner he always had, hoping that it would offer Ken some sense of stability. But the young man seemed to drift farther away with every passing hour. Maybe he would find relief if he went with the Kamiyians, he suddenly thought. Maybe that was the purpose of all the nightmarish visions.  
  
The old man shook his head and tried to clear the thoughts from his mind. Such ungrounded hopes often did more harm than good. He would just have to have faith that God was watching over all his children. And he would have to do his best to help Ken hold on to what little faith he had left. He took one last pitying look at the young man before walking into the hall, softly closing the door behind him.  
  
Ichijouji Monastery was in the process of being subject to a scenario few of the monks had ever imagined. Refugees from miles around had crowded into its thick walls, seeking protection from the war raging across the land. And in the process they were beginning to transform the quiet, serene place of mediation and study into a near fortress, bustling with noise and activity. The younger brothers seemed to be handling it well, their youthful energy allowing them to get caught up in serving their fellow man. Some of the older monks, however, were quite dumbfounded by the recent developments. But they were doing their best to adapt, and that would just have to do for the time being.  
  
The Abbot went over these matters in his mind as he moved down the stairs to the main entrance. The Kamiyian envoy was standing just outside the doors, and as the Abbot walked outside, he forcibly shifted his thoughts towards being welcoming and hospitable. But then his eyes met those of the Kamiyian prince, and for a brief moment all capacity for rational thought left him.  
  
He had seen those eyes before, years ago. They were the deep, suffering eyes of a little boy who had just seen his parents murdered by a man in black armor. They were the eyes that had flickered in the Abbot's thoughts for days without end, turning him from a thief and killer into a penitent before God. His hands started to tremble and shake, and he realized that Ken was right. He would follow the Kamiyians to wherever they were bound to go, he owed an unspeakable debt to a little boy with haunting blue eyes. And for some strange reason, this thought calmed him.  
--------------------------------------  
  
  
Sora sighed and reached down to rub her cramping legs. It felt like forever since she had last been able to walk around and stretch her aching muscles. The small Kamiyian party had been traveling almost non-stop since dawn, and it had now been almost two hours since the sun had set. She wanted to poke her head out of the carriage window and see if she could spot any lights from the Ichijouji Monastery. But Kari had fallen asleep with her head on Sora's shoulder, and the young queen hated the thought of waking up her adopted sister. The young princess needed all the rest she could get.  
  
"I wish I could sleep." Sora whispered to no one. She was bone tired, but could not bring herself to close her eyes for even a few seconds. Not with everyone else still going on at the point of exhaustion, and with her poor Tai stumbling around with the weight of the world pushed up on his shoulders. During the whole march from Kamiyia, they had not met any serious problems. But everyone seemed to be filled the nagging thought that something bad was going to happen. Sora hated that thought, there was nothing she could do to fight it, and it left her feeling helpless and distraught. She wished they could just go home, stop having to be soldiers and just be family.  
  
Sora would have thought more, but she became aware of the carriage slowing down. And Tai's face suddenly appeared at the carriage window.  
  
"We're here." He said wearily, his warm brown eyes looking sunken and dull. His gaze moved over to the sleeping face of his sister. "Is she okay?" He asked.  
  
"Just sleeping." Sora answered with a thin smile. She reached out the window to squeeze his hand. "You should try it sometime."   
  
Tai gave a little grin back, his eyes briefly shining with love for his wife. "Maybe later." He said. He squeezed her hand back before moving away towards the back of the carriage.  
  
Sora gave another worn out sigh and began to gently nudge Kari awake. "Come on, sweetheart." She whispered. "We're finally here."  
  
The young princess blinked her eyes, and gave a soft moaning sound as she lifted up her head. Sora took a hold of her hand and guided her out of the carriage door and onto the ground.  
  
"How long was I asleep?" Kari asked with a yawn, stretching her arms above her head.  
  
"A couple of hours, maybe." Sora answered, stifling a yawn of her own. She began to look over their new surroundings  
  
They had stopped in a clean swept courtyard right in front of the main doors. The walls of the Monastery were made of plain gray clay, but they appeared an appealing orange when bathed in the glow from the torches set all along the yard. A young, nervous looking monk was making his way down the stairs towards them. And Sora gave him a warm smile before turning to check on everyone else.  
  
Twenty of TK and Kari's Takaishian warriors had traveled with them to provide protection. And half of the young soldiers were already beginning to unload the five carts full of provisions they had brought to aid the refugees. The other half had formed a loose perimeter around Sora and Kari. TK was still on horseback, and was steering his mount around the courtyard, checking every little shadow and corner for any possible hidden threat. Cody too, was casting a cautious eye towards the dark night just beyond the torchlight, but after a moment he moved to help unload the wagons. Tai and Jyou just stood talking in hushed voices, waiting for the young monk to make a formal greeting.  
  
"On behalf of the Abbot, and all of the brothers, I welcome you to Ichijouji Monastery." The young monk said with an awkward bow, his voice squeaking a bit with nervousness.   
"We thank you all. It is an honor to be welcomed into your home." Tai said with a practiced bow. Sora knew he usually hated such formality, but she also knew that he would be as formal and dull as a wooden post until he felt comfortable.  
  
The young monk gave a small smile, and he was about to say they should move inside, when the Abbot appeared at the door.  
  
Sora was immediately impressed by the man. He was tall, with straight, broad shoulders, and had the imposing stance of a general. His head was gilded with thinning blonde hair, and he had a sharp, Roman nose. His eyes were a hard, intelligent gray. And he seemed to Sora, as the type of man who could do great good, or great evil, and not think a thing of either one.  
  
The young queen was about to greet him, when she suddenly saw a flash of fear in the man's eyes. The heart-stopping terror of one long hunted and haunted. She thought for a second that he was looking at her, but then she realized that his gaze was locked on something just over her shoulder. She turned around, half-expecting to see something akin to the Devil. But instead she only saw TK.  
  
The prince was standing right behind her, one arm wrapped around Kari's shoulder, and obviously guarding both his wife and adopted sister. His face seemed to shine with cooling sweat. And maybe it was a trick of the light, but Sora could almost imagine that his deep blue eyes were filled with a dark, astral glow.  
  
Confused, Sora turned back towards the Abbot, and was surprised to see that the fear was gone from his marbleize eyes, wiped away without a trace.  
  
"My apologies for not being here directly." The man addressed Tai in a professional voice. "I was finishing up some records."  
  
"That is nothing worth an apology." Tai answered, apparently no one else except Sora had noticed the look in the Abbot's eyes. "It is an honor that you should choose to meet us at all."  
  
"You seek to bring peace to this land. And you have brought supplies to aid the unfortunates here." The Abbot replied. "I could not in good conscience refused to welcome you. But enough talk. I am sure that you are all extremely tired, and food and quarters have been prepared for you."  
  
"Thank you." Tai responded, his voice relaxing slightly. "I am forced to admit that we are all in need of rest. And I hope that we can discuss most of the matters in the morning."  
  
"Of course." The Abbot answered. "I will show you to your beds as soon as you wish."  
  
There seemed to be a general sigh of relief from everyone present. The soldiers fixed thanking glances on Sora and Kari, knowing that it was only because of their presence that they would not have to march through the night back to the column.  
  
Behind her, Sora heard TK softly tell his men to do a short patrol around the Monastery, just to be on the safe side. They nodded and remounted their horses, moving quickly out of the courtyard.  
  
The Abbot hitched up his robes and moved back up the stairs to the door, motioning for everyone to follow him. The company moved quickly and silently through a small reception area, and Sora could not help staring at some of the beautiful murals painted on the walls. She recognized them as coming from various points of Genesis, and they were so vivid, so obviously crafted with love and joy pouring out of the artist's heart, that they took her breath away.  
  
"They were painted almost two-hundred years ago." The Abbot's voice suddenly interrupted her thoughts. She had not been the only one caught up in the beauty of the chamber, as the awe-struck look on everyone else's faces told her. "It is common practice for the more artistically gifted brothers to keep them in good condition, and maybe add little pieces of their own."  
Sora could hear the barely perceptible traces of pride in the man's voice. And she wondered again why the man had looked at TK with such thoughtless fear locked in his eyes? The question filled her with a queasy nervousness, the nasty feeling that something bad was close by. She felt the strong desire to gather up her family around her and march them all home. But instead all she could do was take a hold of Tai's hand, and commit herself to watching over them closely.  
  
Tai found himself looking into his wife's simmering crimson eyes as he felt her take his hand in her own. They were tense and uncertain. And the young king knew from experience that this meant she felt there was something off about their situation, but she could not quite figure out what it was. He gave her hand a firm squeeze. Everything would be okay, he told her silently. He would not let it end any other way.  
  
The king turned back to the Abbot, sifting through his thoughts to find the questions he felt necessary to ask the man before he let himself consider sleep. And one of those questions seemed to force its way to the front of the pack. And it came spilling out of Tai's mouth before he really had a chance to think about it.  
  
"Abbot, what can you tell us about the House of Ishida?"  
  
Tai could feel everyone's eyes turn to him as the words left his mouth, wondering what could have possibly made him ask such a question. Tai was asking himself the same thing. The Abbot himself did not seem at all phased by it. He just stopped and looked off to the right, like a teacher trying to think of the best answer to give a student.  
  
"According to legend." He said after a moment, his voice coming in an exhale of pent up breath. "There was once a minor lord of a long-dead kingdom. He was greedy and hateful, a coward and thief by nature. But at some point he came across an ancient spell that let him contact Hell itself. He wished to sell his soul in exchange for the power to conquer the world. As the story goes, the Devil told him that one, weak soul was too small a price for such a grand ambition. Lucifer wanted the right to a portion of the soul of each of the man's descendents, just a little piece, from which he could work to bring them all under his influence. The man agreed without hesitation, and the House of Ishida was born. A dynasty where every child was born into damnation."  
  
The Abbot finished, and looked at the six stunned faces starring at him.  
  
"My God." Cody stated.  
  
"No." The Abbot responded immediately. "God had nothing at all to do with it." The man paused, and glanced down at the floor." Of course, that is only a legend, written to explain the murderous tendencies of the Ishidas. Some people are just more inclined towards evil, I suppose, without God or the Devil having to get involved."  
  
The words slowly sunk into Tai's mind. And another question suddenly presented itself, drawing him to it like a moth is drawn to a flame. "But what was so distinguishable about the members of the Ishida line, that some little boy could claim to be a descendent hundreds of years after they were wiped out."  
  
The Abbot opened his mouth, the answer poised on his lips. But someone else spoke before he had the chance.  
  
"I can answer that." Ken said softly, standing at the mouth of a small side corridor. A ratty, yellowed book clutched in his hand. Tai and the others beheld him with surprise in their eyes. The young man's shirt and trousers hung loose on his gaunt frame. His long, dark hair fell around his face, slightly masking the eyes of churning violet fire. The bandage covering them was gone.  
  
"T-this is Ken." The Abbot spoke out, not able to fully hide his shock and amazement. "A pupil of mine."  
  
No one really heard the words. The strange young man owned their attention, drawing heir hearts and minds into the purple inferno of his eyes.  
  
Ken looked at them with pity. He had received an image of himself standing before them, a book in hand, and his eyes uncovered. So even though he was loathed to, he had had removed the bandage, retrieved the book, and come down the stairs to stand on the spot that had been pointed out. The visions had sapped away all of his strength. He had become a slave to them.  
  
"The sons and daughters of Ishida were born with blue eyes and blonde hair." Ken said, his eyes traveling over all of them, before coming to rest directly on TK. " Satan wished his minions to be perfect images of beauty, perfect images of the fallen angels before Hell twisted them into abominations."  
  
Ken could almost feel the pressure of the princess' grip on her husband's arm. The fear was rising uncontrollably in her heart, nightmares and memories crashed together in her mind. He wished he had the will to spare them.  
  
"But the most telling sign was a mark on the back of the neck. The brand the Devil placed there to mark his property." He slowly opened the book to a crude drawing done in coal, a tongue of black flame.  
  
"The mark of the House of Ishida."  
  
Kari felt her heart surge into her throat and she needed to throw up. She had known. She had felt in the pit of her being what those old pages held. But she desperately did not want to believe it.  
  
"T-that's impossible." She stammered, fear and anger mixing in her voice. "It-it just can't be." She turned to her husband, staring into the bottomless blue eyes that were now creased with pain. He could read the truth in the beat of her heart, in the flash of her eyes.  
  
"TK..." She whined, griping him by the arms.  
  
The prince did not say a word. He just stared at her beautiful face, trying to bury himself in the flowing pools of brown that were welling up with tears. He felt her hands slowly slide up his shoulders to move the hair off the back of his neck. It was only after hearing a choking gasp escape from Kari's mouth that TK pulled her tightly into his arms, madly kissing the top of her head as she cried into his chest. He tried not to think of anything besides comforting her.  
  
The others just stared at them, their faces frozen in shock. The tongue of black flame kept flashing through their minds. They had just come face to face with a horrible legend, and it had taken the form of one so dear to their hearts. All thoughts and feelings just seemed to explode as they were born.  
  
" But how...?" Sora asked finally, her voice trailing off at the end.  
  
No one had an answer for her. And it was only by turning his back on his charging emotions that Jyou could manage to speak at all.  
  
"We should send word to Lord Artur and his allies." The young doctor said softly. "Who knows what this could mean for the war effort?" He looked down at his feet and cursed himself for sounding so heartless.  
  
Tai nodded and blinked his eyes. "Y-yes." He stuttered. "They should know."  
  
"No!" TK shouted, clutching his wife to him as tightly as he could. He had been trying to lose himself in Kari's embrace. But Tai and Jyou's words had sparked a flooding panic in his heart. "Nobody can know!" His face took on a pleading expression. "Kari and the baby... We don't tell anyone."  
  
It took a moment for the meaning of TK words to hit. But then Sora's face filled up with fear. And she rushed to throw her arms around the prince and princess.  
  
"Oh my God." Cody murmured, crossing himself reflexively. "The legend... A child born between the Houses of Kamiya and Ishida."  
  
That was all that needed to be said. A deep fear suddenly flashed through Tai like a bolt of lightening, leaving his fingers trembling and his vision hazy. He knew the old legend as well as anyone; a child born of the two great houses would banish the forces of darkness forever. He could not bring himself to give voice to the thoughts that were already foremost in everyone's minds. Every lunatic and murderer in the land would be after Kari and her unborn baby if they knew.  
  
There was near silence for the next few moments. The only words came from Kari, who was sandwiched tightly between TK and Sora. And her voice was so low, so muffled by her sobs, that they were the only two who could hear it. "Our baby is not going to be some messiah." She whispered, her cheeks glistening with tears. "It's just going to be a normal, healthy baby."  
  
TK's heart suddenly moaned in his chest, and he tried to kiss all the tears out of Kari's eyes.  
  
"Of course it is, sweetheart." Sora whispered back. Her own eyes beginning to shine with her own tears. "That's all it's going to be." She laid her cheek against Kari's head.  
  
"We're going back to the column right now." Tai said, his voice strong and determined. He placed a hand on Sora's shoulder gently telling her to steer TK and Kari towards the door. Jyou and Cody were right on his heels.  
  
The Abbot knew he could not let them leave yet. He was stunned almost beyond rational thought, but he knew that there were things he had to do. "Wait!" He called, taking a hesitant step forward.  
  
The Kamiyians turned back towards him with warnings in their eyes, like a family of lions rallying around their wounded. They were still too scared and shocked to see anything besides threats wherever they looked.  
  
"I promise I wish only to help you." The Abbot kept his voice low and calm. And met each of their gazes so that they could see the truth of his words in his eyes. He could also not help looking over at Ken. The young man stood off to the side, a numb, weary look on his face. He made the Abbot think of an actor, who after reading his lines, had withdrawn from the stage to watch the play unfold.  
  
"May I speak with Prince Takeru?" The Abbot asked.  
  
Tai's mouth opened wide, and his head turned sideways as he prepared to vigorously object. But TK spoke out before the young king had a chance.  
  
"Why?" The prince asked simply, his stare boring into the Abbot. His eyes were twinkling like far off stars, hoping for, but not really expecting help.  
  
"Because I think I can be of some assistance."  
  
Tai wanted to shout out a resounding 'no' so badly that his hands squeezed themselves into fists. But he bowed his head and left the decision to TK, knowing that many more lay ahead for his adopted brother, whether the young man liked it or not.  
  
TK looked at the Abbot a long time before finally giving a small nod of his head. Kari reluctantly let go of him, falling back into Sora's waiting arms. Jyou and Cody both put firm hands on his shoulder, and Tai whispered to him that they would be right outside.  
  
The Abbot found the last remark a little humorous as he motioned for TK to follow him into a small side room. He doubted there was a chance in hell that he could be any sort of threat to the young man.  
  
"Do you have the feeling in your heart right now?" The Abbot asked as soon as he had closed the door behind them.  
  
"What?" TK asked, a little apprehension rising in his chest.  
  
"It is okay to tell me, young prince." The Abbot answered calmly. "I have seen accounts written from King Justin's own hand about the impulses that dwelled in the pit of his being. He referred to them as 'The Sin', but I assume you have given them another name."  
  
TK stared at the man for a long moment. "The Darkness." He said softly.  
  
"Have you confided in anyone else?"  
  
"Just Kari, my wife. And Cody may have figured out some of it." TK did not feel entirely comfortable revealing all of this, but he looked into the older man's steel gray eyes, and could not find any real reason why he should not.  
  
"And what does it feel like?"  
  
The young prince looked down at the ground, searching his mind for words to describe the thing that was ever-present in all he thought and felt. "It varies... changes, depending on what is happening, or what I'm feeling."  
  
TK looked down at his feet, and the Abbot could not help being reminded of a shame-faced child. "Most of the time, its just like this great black hole in my heart. And-and I have to always be careful of it, inching around it all the time. But then when I'm in battle, or angry, or-or just at random times, it's like this huge beast throwing itself against the bars of a cage, fighting to get out. And lately it's gotten harder to control it. It's-"  
  
TK suddenly stopped talking. He looked up at the Abbot and captured the man's thoughts in his sapphire gaze. "I should leave, shouldn't I?" He asked in a serious voice mixed with fear and sorrow. "I'm only going to hurt them if I stay. I'll only end up hurting Kari and the baby." His eyes squeezed shut as he tried to hold back tears.   
  
The Abbot felt his own heart seize in his chest, and he griped the young prince's shoulder. "Do not be foolish." He said firmly. "You will never be able to leave them, just as they would never let you go."  
  
"Then tell me how I can fight it." TK's voice became stronger as he tried to shake off the tears. "You said you wanted to help. So help me."  
  
The Abbot sighed and closed his eyes. "The Ishidas were monstrously cruel to their children. They would be abused almost from birth; their spirits crushed before they ever had a chance to grow. This was the way in which they brought the darkness to the surface. But the children who showed the greatest strength, the potential kings and generals, would be given a companion, a pet, a friend, a lover. Someone who shared in all their misery and suffering, someone upon whose love and support they would grow to depend on just to live through another night. And when the time was considered right, their other would be taken from them, murdered slowly and painfully while they watched helpless. It was only in such a moment of pure anguish and hatred that a true monster could be born, a thing that killed for the sheer joy of killing."  
  
The old man suddenly stared deep into TK's eyes, holding him by the shoulders. "But you are not such a monster. You have a family, a wife, and a child who you will be able to hold in your arms in but a few short months. And when you fight, you do not do so for the sake of conquest and bloodshed, but only to protect those you care about. You are surrounded by love, and long as you trust in that, as long as you keep hope, then the darkness can roar and fight all it wants, but it will never be able to break free." The Abbot stared at TK with an almost pleading expression, like his own salvation depended on the young man's will to keep fighting.  
  
TK could not make himself meet the older man's gaze. He was scared, terrified of all the thoughts and ideas that were assailing his mind. He kept seeing himself in battle, his eyes frozen in ice, and his mouth locked in a wolf's grin. He was a predator, a killer, and by all rights he deserved to be put down like a sick animal. But he kept hearing the Abbot's words echo in his ears, kept seeing the faces of his family. And he remembered that he had promised Kari he would never leave her. He finally looked up at the Abbot, his blue eyes sad but determined.  
  
"Thank you." He said simply. He could feel the darkness slinking about in his heart, but his hold on it seemed tighter than ever.  
  
The Abbot nodded. "If you are feeling grateful, then allow myself and my pupil to accompany you for the remainder of your journey."  
  
"Why?" TK asked, his eyes narrowing.  
  
The Abbot once again found himself haunted by the questioning eyes of a small boy. "An old debt. And please, I beg of you, leave it at that."  
  
The young prince frowned. And somewhere in the back of his mind, he suddenly wondered if the old man's voice had ever had a cruel ring to it, or if his gray eyes had ever peered out from behind narrow slits in a black visor. But he willfully forbade the thoughts to reach the surface  
  
"Okay." He said with a small nod. "We'll probably be leaving soon." And he went out the door without waiting for a response.  
  
The others were clustered together in the hall, and their eyes were wide with worry when they saw him emerge. They looked him over carefully, as if afraid that he had been somehow changed during the few moments in the other room. Kari came up to him and gently took hold of his hands, millions of questions in her soft brown eyes. TK pulled her close and softly kissed her. She sighed gratefully and wrapped her arms around him, satisfied with the answer.   
  
Tai was almost boiling over with nervous energy, plagued by the knowledge that he could not somehow take TK's place in the battle he was being forced to fight. He was about to clasp the young man on the shoulder, when they were all suddenly stricken still and silent by the tense, urgent baying of a hunting horn, drifting through the open doorway from the courtyard.  
  
TK took off like a shot, slipping from Kari's arms and racing out into the yard. His men were under attack, as told by the blasts from the horn, and all of his personal thoughts and worries could not stand before this fact. His horse was tied near the door, and the animal was already anxiously pulling at its leather straps as he reached its side. The prince tore off his cloak, and hurriedly replaced it with a chain mail shirt and steel helmet from his saddlebags. He then jumped on his mount and galloped out the Monastery gates, moments ahead of a group of monks seeking to close it against the sounds of battle raging nearby. TK followed the chorus of clashing steel and adrenaline screams around one of the corners, and there it was. Torchlight from up on the Monastery walls reflected off the armor of the combatants, making it seem like a war of shadows. The prince could see that his men were outnumbered, but he could not tell by how much. The pink rose of Tachikawa was barely discernable on the uniforms of the antagonists.  
  
TK launched himself into the fray, cutting into the enemy ranks like a knife. The fighting was at such close quarters that all he could do was hack all around with his sword, but men fell beneath him like wheat under a thresher. Hours seemed to pass every second. His muscles burned, and the sound of his own breathing rang in his ears. Enemies came at him in waves, but he knocked them all away. Then all at once the Tachikawans retreated, scattering into the night.  
  
"After them, sir?" A young soldier panted at his elbow.  
  
"Huh? I mean n-no." The prince stuttered back. "See to the wounded."  
  
TK reigned in his horse and looked around himself in confusion. Something seemed off, something was missing. And it took him a moment to figure out what it was. He did not have to throw up, at least not more so than any soldier after a battle. He would have laughed in relief, if he had not suddenly had to jump off his horse and try to stop the bleeding of one of his men. Even still, there was a sudden ease to his thoughts. He knew what the darkness was now. It was a curse, and a part of him, yes. But it was not his fault, and he did not have to let it control him. He could kick it around like a stray dog, and all it could do was hide under a table and growl at him. He did not have to be in constant fear of it. He would have smiled at thought, except the young soldier he was trying to help suddenly closed his eyes. And like all leaders before him, TK felt this very much was his fault.  
---------------------------------------------  
  
  
"What do you think?" Izzy whispered. His fingers tapped nervously on the ground in front of him.  
  
"Don't know." Jun whispered back, keeping her eyes straight ahead. They were splayed out on the ground perhaps fifty yards from the front gate of Ichijouji Monastery. And had an excellent view of the armored carriage used by Queen Sora and Princess Hikari of Kamiya. Which meant that at least part of the royal family was inside the Monastery, a day's march from the Kamiyian column.  
  
"Well, should we take a closer look? Should we prepare some sort of attack? What?" Izzy prodded, his voice rising a little with anxiety. He knew more than anyone else that he was not cut out for sneaking around in the dark. It made him too impatient and irritable.  
  
"How about you just shut up and let me think." Jun responded flatly. She heard her companion grumble something in reply before becoming still. She let her eyes travel over the scene, absorbing every little detail. The courtyard was empty except for the carriage, five covered wagons, and four horses hitched near the door. Jun frowned, she thought it highly unlikely that Tai would let either his wife or sister travel so far from the column without a good-sized escort force. And the lack of horses in view meant that force was most likely patrolling somewhere close by. Her eyes drifted to the forest to the left of the Monastery walls. The thirty men in her scouting patrol were waiting somewhere near there, and she did not feel at all confident in putting them against Kamiyian troops trained highly enough to serve as royal bodyguards.  
  
"Come on." She said, patting Izzy on the shoulder. "Let's get out of here." She started to crawl backwards to where they had left their horses.  
  
"What?" Izzy asked surprised. "We're not going to do something?"  
  
"We have to get that information back to the camp." She answered, grabbing hold of his leg and starting to pull him after her. "Lord Artur and the eastern lords are about two days away from meeting up with the Kamiyians. And we have to give Matt and Mimi enough time to prepare."  
  
Izzy sneered. "Prepare to go home is what we should do. Let that asshole Rolen and his 'king' do their own fighting." He batted her hand away from his leg, but began to inch after her.  
  
Jun was about to voice her opinions on Lord Rolen, when the sound of the Monastery doors opening made them both freeze and hug the ground. The heavy wooden portals opened wide, and a small group of monks rushed over to the wagons and pulled back the canvas covers, revealing baskets full of food and blankets. A few moments later a group of men and women, with a few small children, came out of a side passage and began to help the monks unload the provisions.  
  
"How do you like that?" Izzy whispered, his eyes narrowing in concentration. "One moment they're slaughtering helpless villagers, the next they're sending supplies to refugees. Looks like the Kamiyians can't seem to make up their minds." It was hard to miss the sharp implications of his tone.  
  
Jun sighed, and something in the pit of her stomach made her feel queasy and uncertain. "Let's just go." She responded, taking a long last look at the wagons. The whole situation made her feel uncharacteristically trapped. And barely suppressed fear filled her muscles with a loose sensation. She crawled along the ground as quickly and quietly as she could, and had almost reached her tethered horse when the sounds of fighting broke out from the forest. A sudden panic made Jun's heart jump into her throat. She jumped into the saddle with a curse, trying to strap on her helmet even as she steered her horse in the direction of the noise. Izzy was only a few yards behind her.  
  
As soon as Jun saw the actual battle, she knew that she had to get her men to disengage and retreat without delay. The opposing soldiers boasted not only the mid-day sun on their armor, but also the gold shooting star that designated them as the Takaishian guard, the cream of the Kamiyina forces. The two sides were hopelessly tangled, but even as Jun charged into the fray she could tell that her men were getting the worst of it. Five had already fallen from their saddles, and another was slumped over his mount's neck.   
  
Jun's thick, strong horse bullied its way into the thick of the battle, and she had struck down two men within moments. But the Takaishians were as fierce and tenacious as hound dogs. They seemed to recognize her as the strongest warrior, and thronged about her in an effort to bring her down. One gave her a glancing blow across the helmet that made her head ring. And in the brief disorientation that followed she was sure that she would die. But the deathblow did not come, and when she looked up Izzy was at her side, panting hard and favoring his right shoulder. He opened his mouth to say something, but the words were drowned out by the low, warning blasts of a hunting horn. One of the Kamiyians had managed to get clear of the battle to call reinforcements.   
  
"We have to get out of here!" Jun shouted over the din, wildly waving to any of her men in sight. But overmatched as they were, the Tachikawans could not, or would not break clear of the battle. She spotted a small pocket of her troops at the edge of the fight, and began yelling at them to retreat. But before they could respond, a lone horseman plowed straight into their midst. Jun watched in horror and amazement as the warrior cut them down with unbelievable ease. A helmet masked his features, but she knew it could only be Takeru, the Iron Prince. A conclusion reinforced by the way the Takaishians rallied around him.  
  
This must be what it is like to fight against Matt, Jun thought to herself. To fight against a warrior whose mere presence is enough to inspire his own men, while sapping away the strength of his enemies. Jun spurred her horse towards the Prince. She knew that she could not match him, but her responsibility to her troops urged her onward. Izzy struggled along at her side, and she came close to ordering him back. But she did not. Despite all of her courage, she did not want to enter the fight alone.  
  
The pair fought their way to the warrior, and Jun swung at him with her sword. But the Prince blocked the blow easily, then let loose with a horizontal stroke that cut into her sword arm. She did not even have time to grit her teeth before the Prince followed up by striking her in the face with his gauntlet-covered fist. The force of the punch was so much that Jun was almost knocked out of the saddle, and she was desperately trying to hold onto her horse's flank when she heard Izzy cry out in pain. She pulled herself back up to see her companion doubled up in the saddle with his hands pressed over his stomach.  
  
All at once, the fear and panic that Jun had been holding at bay came rushing to the surface. Without thinking, she threw her sword at the Prince, and then ripped off her helmet and hurled that at him too. It did not harm him in the slightest, but it gave Jun enough time to grab hold of the reins of Izzy's horse, and steer her own mount away from the warrior.  
  
"Fall back! Fall back!" She shouted as she tried to fight free. It seemed to take forever, but she finally got clear, instinctively spurring her horse into a full gallop. Her only conscious thought was to keep hold of the reins of Izzy's horse. Both mounts raced on for many minutes, until Jun finally regained enough composure to bring them to a halt. She immediately jumped off her steed, and carefully as she could, pulled Izzy out of the saddle.  
  
"Oh fuck... Fuck." The young man groaned. His face was white with shock but his eyes seemed focused and livid. Jun immediately feared the worst by the way he was holding himself. She had seen men who had their stomachs cut open in battle, their hands all they had to keep their entrails from spilling out.  
  
"Let me see, Izzy" She whispered, gently pulling his hands away from his stomach. Her heart pounded in her ears as she searched for the wound, but she could not find it.  
  
"T-the bastard c-cut off my fingers." Izzy stammered to her.  
  
Jun suddenly felt herself fill up with relief at the words; her eyes went to the stumps that had once been the little and ring fingers of his left hand. "Only your fingers?" She asked, unable to keep her relief from forming into a small grin.  
  
"What the hell do you mean 'only my fingers'?" Izzy shouted at her, his face twisted up in pain and disbelief. "Have you gone mad?"  
  
Jun did not respond, but just pulled him into a fierce hug. She had been so scared, and she could not even bear the thought of losing someone else she cared about, not after Davis.  
  
"M-my fingers." Izzy stuttered again, his mouth hanging open with confusion.  
  
The words brought Jun back to reality and she pulled away. She hoped that he could not see the foolish blush of her cheeks, or the tears she was trying to blink away. "Just shut up, Izzy." She told him tenderly as she tore part of her cloak into strips. "My father had one whole hand cut off, and he still manages to get along all right." She took the strips and wrapped them as tightly as she dared around his hand.  
  
Izzy winced as he watched her apply the makeshift bandage. The wound hurt horribly, but his mind and body were beginning to become accustomed to the pain, and clearer thoughts formed in his head. "You're hurt." He said, nodding at the wound to her arm.  
  
"Just a scratch." Jun said as she continued to wrap his hand. The wound pained her, but she thought it hardly worth any attention at the moment.  
  
"Even still..." Izzy said quietly. He picked up one of the spare strips of fabric, and managed with his right hand to tie it haphazardly around her wounded arm.  
  
Jun did not say anything, but the corners of her mouth turned up in the beginning of a tired grin. "We should probably cauterize your fingers the first chance we-" She was cut off by the sound of a rapidly approaching horse. The pair jumped apart and reflexively looked for their swords, cursing as they realized that they had both lost their weapons. The horse and rider burst into view, and they both felt their shoulders sag in relief as they saw it was one of their men.  
  
"Lady Jun, Lord Koushiro." The young soldier said, giving a haggard salute. "We thought the Iron Prince had killed you both."  
  
Jun shook her head as she got to her feet. "Are the Kamiyians pursuing?" She asked.  
  
"No." The soldier answered, panting hard. "And everyone who made it is in a clearing not far from here. "  
  
"How many are alive." Izzy asked expectantly.  
  
The young soldier bowed his head. "Fourteen. Two are wounded pretty badly."  
  
Jun clenched her fists and fought the impulse to scream. She had lost more than half of her men in a span of minutes. "We start for Castle Ishida and our camp right now." She said in a forced voice, climbing back on her horse. "And we don't stop until we get there."  
  
The young soldier nodded, and they both waited for Izzy to climb slowly into his own saddle. Then she gave a nod and the soldier began to lead them toward the rest of the troops. No one said a word as they moved, Jun too deep in her own thoughts to do more than stare at the back of her horse's head. The dogs of war were about to be given full leash to roam about Ishida. And if the recent skirmish were any indication, the hounds would soon have their fill of blood upon which to feast.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	5. The Green Knight

Disclaimer: I own only the plot. The character of Ryo was created by Takeru- san  
  
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Lord Artur fell to his knees on the ground at TK's feet. The old man's disease ridden hands clenched themselves into violently trembling fists, and his weathered face beamed with childlike awe and amazement. Tears rolled down his cheeks to wet his snowy beard. "My King." He whispered, and then slowly bent his aged body to kiss TK's mud-caked boots.  
  
The young man shifted his shoulders uncomfortably, and fought back the urge to pull the old man to his feet. A mark on his neck and a darkness in his heart branded him as the rightful King of Ishida, but at the moment, he felt more like a scared little boy than anything else. He watched as Artur moved to kiss Kari's feet as well. "My Queen." He addressed her reverently. TK felt his wife reach out to take his hand in her own, and he turned to gaze at her. There was a frightened but determined look on her face. You are not alone, her flowing brown eyes told him. I will help to bear every one of your crosses. We will face everything together. She gave his hand a firm squeeze.  
  
Behind the couple stood Tai, Sora, Jyou, and Cody. As well as Lord Rordan and Lucas, who, along with Lord Artur, the royal family had decided to tell what they had discovered at Icijouji Monastery. The newest members of the royal entourage, the Abbot of the Monastery and his young pupil Ken, stood near the back of the crowded tent. Everyone's faces were solemn as they watched Artur slowly climb to his feet and embrace TK and Kari in one great hug.  
  
"King Takeru and Queen Hikari of Ishida, Prince and Princess of Kamiya, Lord and Lady of Takaishi." Cody said slowly, rolling the words around on his tongue. "That's quite a mouthful." The young monk's face broke into a broad grin. And the other Kamiyians could not help following his example as they flashed relieved smiles.  
  
"I won't lie to you." Tai said, stepping forward to hug them both. "It's a horrible job, and I think you would both be better off if you just ran away and never came back." He was not entirely joking, and his eyes winced a little with sadness as he looked at them.  
  
"I've never seen you run away from anything." Kari responded with a small grin.  
  
"Yes, but you're both so much smarter than he is." Sora came up behind her husband with a soft laugh. She reached over and hugged TK and Kari tightly. "Titles and kingdoms don't mean all that much." She whispered to them. "We're family first and foremost. Always."  
  
Lucas came up to them next, his brow narrowed in determined thought. "I'm going with you." The boy said forcefully. "Let's not have any doubt about that."  
  
"I believe I will as well." Cody added. "At least until my restless spirit overtakes me once more, and I feel the need to wander."  
  
"That's good." TK answered with a smirk. "Because we were going to make you both come whether you liked it or not."  
  
Cody shook his head and gave him a knowing grin. He opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off before he could begin.  
  
"I hate to play the eternal pessimist." Jyou spoke out, rubbing his forehead wearily. "But there are other matters we have to take care of before we can start planning a coronation ceremony."  
  
"Aye." Lord Rordan responded with a quick nod. "We need to strike before Rolen and the Tachikawans can fully prepare their defenses."  
  
"You're both right." Tai agreed grimly. "Get everyone ready to march. And I want a quick council in my tent. That includes the leading Ishidian lords, and everyone in this tent except the Lord Abbot and his pupil. Unless they wish to be present." He turned to the two figures at the back of the tent with a questioning look. He had a feeling that the Abbot had once been a warrior, maybe even a commander. And any input the man could offer would be valued. Ken, on the other hand, made Tai feel extremely uncomfortable. It was as if the young man already knew how everything was going to turn out, and was snickering at all of them rushing around in uncertainty.  
  
"Thank you for the invitation." The Abbot answered him. "But no. I strongly doubt either of us could be of much use in a war council. We will have to content ourselves with merely helping to prepare for the march." The man gave a stately bow and then left the tent without waiting for a response. Ken started after him, but then stopped suddenly and just stood at the opening. His sad violet eyes traveled over the royal family.  
  
"Okay then." Tai said with an accepting shrug. "Let's get to work"  
  
With that, the last smiles faded from the faces of the royal family, and they once again assumed the roles of hardened soldiers that had been forced upon them. They filed out of the tent, TK and Tai bringing up the rear. But right before the two young men could leave, Ken stepped in front of them. His eyes were once again full of purple fire as he looked at them. Images were unfolding in his mind.  
  
"Whichever of you crosses swords with the Green Knight will die." He told them in a defeated voice, the simplicity of the words as sharp as a knife. Then he turned and walked slowly away.  
  
TK and Tai turned to each other wordlessly. And even though every bit of sense they had told them not to believe the young man's words, something in the depths of their hearts told them that it was true, just as real and definite as the black clouds hanging on the western horizon.  
  
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////  
  
Three days later  
  
The storm clouds had moved in during the night, and Matt could tell by the murky smell to the air that they were likely to soon break open. He filed the knowledge with the rest of his growing number of worries and concerns, and tried to concentrate on the map in front of him. The Tachikawan forces had been encamped outside Rolen's castle for the better part of four days, and not one moment of it had been near enjoyable. Mimi had already made several requests for an audience with the so-called 'King Ryo', but so far Lord Rolen had denied every such request, giving the Princess nothing more than a number of dismissive excuses. Rolen's gathered forces also appeared much smaller than the Tachikawans had been led to believe, and the Ishidians soldiers were careful to keep themselves segregated from their supposed allies.  
  
"This is all bad." Matt whispered to himself. It was the only thing he was really sure of. The young man's hunter-blue eyes looked up at the forest to the east. Jun and Izzy's scouting party had been scheduled to arrive two days before, and Matt could not keep himself from being afraid for his friends. He was not the only one, either. He had frequently spotted Mimi and Miyako staring off in the same direction. Miyako in particular looked as if she were seriously considering jumping on her horse and trying to go find them herself.  
  
Matt sighed loudly to himself and turned away from the forest, looking instead towards the Craddle Mountains looming tall and proud in the North. They marked the border between Kamiya and Tachikawa, and Matt stared at them longingly, remembering how crisp and clean they looked in the summer. At least they will always be there, he thought to himself. And then immediately blinked his eyes, for he could have sworn that he suddenly saw the base of the mountains quiver and shift. But when he looked again they were as they always had been. The young warrior shook his head; he needed to get more sleep.  
  
He turned back to the old, creased map, running his fingers over it as he pictured divisions of infantry and cavalry. He reached down into a pouch on his belt and pulled out a strip of dried meat. He was in the process of tearing a chunk from the strip when the shallow, tentative bray of a hunting horn floated out from the forest.  
  
Matt immediately spit out the food and raced towards the sound. His spirit rising for the first time in days as first Jun, then Izzy, and then other soldiers emerged from the forest, leading their horses by the reigns. He saw Miyako come streaking along from the right, almost knocking Jun and Izzy off their feet in her rush to vigorously hug them both.  
  
Matt would have liked to do the same, but he stopped short when he noticed how their shoulders were slumped in fatigue, their cloaks pulled tightly about them against the chill. It was this that first made Matt notice the steam that came from his mouth when he breathed; he had always been rather indifferent to cold.  
  
"How did it go?" He asked softly, gently clasping them both on the shoulder.  
  
Jun sighed heavily and shook her head. "Not good." She said. "Where's Mimi?" The question was already being answered as the words left her mouth. The female warrior could see the princess coming towards them, hitching up her long dress so she could walk faster. Jun immediately moved to meet her.  
  
"Izzy!" Miyako exclaimed in a startled voice. "What happened to your hand?"  
  
The young genius gave an ill-tempered smirk. "The Iron Prince hacked off a couple of my fingers." He embarrassedly displayed his bandaged hand.  
  
"What?" Matt's eyes went wide. "You fought the Kamiyians?"  
  
"They fought us." Izzy answered, clenching his eyes shut and rubbing his forehead. "We just tried to get away." He looked back at his friends with an anguished glaze over his eyes. "It was Takeru and his Takaishians, and they were just too much for us. We lost sixteen in the fight, two more on the way back."  
  
"Is anyone else injured?" Miyako asked, gently prodding Izzy's hand in an effort to assess the wound.  
  
"There are some pretty bad ones." The young man nodded wearily. "A lot worse than mine."  
  
Miyako nodded as she caught the meaning of his words, and with a grim frown moved to help the other wounded soldiers.  
  
Matt moved closer to Izzy, griping his friend by the shoulders. "Did the Kamiyians meet up with Artur and his allies? Where are they now?"  
  
Izzy clenched his good hand into a fist. "That's the worst part." He said so low it was almost a whisper. "The two forces came in contact the same day we got caught in the skirmish. The whole way back we could only stay just ahead of their scouts. They can't be more than a couple hours behind us."  
  
"Shit." Matt cursed. His blood began to hum with a low fear. "Where are Mimi and Jun?" He turned and looked to where the two women were buried in a hushed conversation. "Come on." He said, pulling Izzy after him as he strode towards them. War plans were already unveiling themselves in his mind, but he never had, and never would, act on any matter without Mimi's consent.  
  
"I just know that it's all wrong." Matt heard Jun whisper to Mimi as he came up. The female warrior's face strained against barely controlled emotion, her dark brown eyes creased with frustration. She turned towards Matt and Izzy with an almost startled look as they approached.  
  
"Did Jun tell you about the Kamiyians? How close they are?" Matt asked.  
  
"She told me everything." The princess responded, reaching out to take Matt's hand for reassurance. She bit her lower lip as she tried to sort out the tangle of thoughts in her head. Her stomach felt sour.  
  
"Mimi." Matt said tenderly, giving her small, graceful hand a loving squeeze. "We need to act incredibly fast."  
  
"I know that." She responded tensely. "Send out scouts, and assemble the men into whatever formation you think is best."  
  
"That will be with our backs to the castle, facing the south." Izzy broke in. "The Kamiyians can't force a whole column through the forest, they'll have to come through the southern opening of the clearing."  
  
"Okay." Mimi nodded her assent. "Jun, you, Izzy, and Miayko get the men ready. And move all are non-military people up next to the castle behind our lines. And Matt." She said, turning towards to her lover, her eyes shining with stress and the beginnings of fear. "Assemble the special unit and put on the armor."  
  
Matt nodded gravely. Mimi was telling him to assume the role of the Green Knight, something he loathed. "What about you?" He asked her.  
  
Mimi sighed and looked at Jun out of the corners of her eyes. "I'm going to make a last attempt to talk with this King Ryo."  
  
"I should go with you then." Matt said pointedly.  
  
"No." She stated with a shake of her head. "I'm the only one that isn't necessary in battle."  
  
"I'm not letting you go up there alone." He said forcefully.  
  
"I'll take guards with me then." Mimi responded. "Now just everyone go do what needs to be done."  
  
Jun and Izzy both nodded slightly and went away, fighting exhaustion as they moved to assemble the troops. Matt and Mimi watched them for a few moments before pulling each other into a close embrace. Her hair was tangled and greasy, her face and dress smudged with dirt and grime, but she was still so beautiful that it made his heart ache.  
  
"Don't let anything happen to you, okay?" Mimi whispered.  
  
"Only if you don't let anything happen to you." Matt whispered back.  
  
"It's a deal then." She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him gently.  
  
They held each other tightly for a little bit. Finally letting go as precious time drained away. He gave a loud call for guards, and four young soldiers hastily assembled around them. They kissed one final time, and then Matt slowly began to walk towards his tent. Mimi watched him go with a fearful heart; she had the most horrible feeling that she was never going to see him again.  
  
She forced herself to think about what Jun had told her, about the Kamiyian royal family giving aid to the refugees sheltered at the Ichijouji Monastery. It had constantly been on Jun's mind during their trek back, and the female warrior had come to the heartfelt conclusion that the Kamiyians weren't really their enemies, that there was something larger at work. Mimi knew what Jun felt towards King Tai and his family, that she held them responsible for her brother's death. And if she of all people could look past her personal feelings and see that something was not right, then Mimi decided she needed to talk to the unseen King Ryo. She would not dare to risk such a horrible, costly mistake.  
  
"We're going up to the castle." She told her guards, who gave her a sharp salute and fell in behind her as she started walking. She watched her forces preparing for battle as she went. The tents and wagons were being pulled towards the castle. The soldiers buckled on their swords and armor, the cavalrymen taking extra time to whisper soothing words to their horses. Everyone was restless and anxious. Mimi felt like her stomach had twisted into a tight little knot of nerves, a feeling that worsened greatly as she approached the gate of Rolen's castle.  
  
The Ishidian fortress had been built by a family of bloodthirsty killers, so it was never intended to be anything besides threatening, And Lord Rolen's recent repairs had only served to increase the hostile, dangerous look of it. The walls were thick and jutting, riddled with narrow archer's windows that looked like so many soulless eyes. Rows of spiked turrets capped off the walls, with raised platforms to support the heaviest siege weaponry. Above the main gate was a great trough where boiling oil had once poured down in a scalding waterfall.  
  
When Mimi reached the gate two of Rolen's men immediately blocked her way. She could feel her own guards tense behind her.  
  
"I demand to see Lord Rolen." She stated, glaring at the two men in front of her.  
  
"The Lord is very busy, your highness." One said with a sneer. "He cannot be bothered at this time."  
  
Mimi's felt her ears burn crimson. "Tell him that if he doesn't appear before me immediately, I will take my forces and march back to Tachikawa before the hour is up."  
  
The two men gave her angry frowns, but one turned and rushed into the main hallway. The second one watched until his partner was out of sight before giving a grunt of "Follow me" and turning to lead her and her guards inside.  
  
Mimi took a deep breath before starting in, praying to whatever was up there that everything would work out all right. Even though deep down inside her, she knew that was impossible.  
  
///////////////////////////////////////////  
  
  
  
The pale man with the yellow eyes was going almost mad with impatience. An affliction greatly aggravated by Lord Rolen's complete loss of any and all sense as he grew increasingly drunk on the exaggerated image of his own power. If things were not so close to the end, the pale man would have had great trouble restraining himself from dropping his awkward disguise and ripping the fool's throat out. But it was so close to the end, and everything was coming together exactly as the dark oracle had said. Only a few more little pieces remained. The pale man could not help feeling a bit anxious when he wondered which one of the wolves would die, and what would be left of the one who lived? Just thinking about the possibilities made him yearn for battle, but there were other things that presently demanded his attention.  
  
Rolen was at his midday meal when the man approached him. The lord had a greasy mutton joint in one hand, a wine goblet that never seemed to be empty in the other. His eyes were red and inflamed by excess.  
  
"I thought I told you never to bother me when I was eating." Rolen sneered at the man. "The sight of you makes it hard to digest my food properly."  
  
An inaudible growl came from the pale man's throat. "The Tachikawans are mobilizing." He said.  
  
"Splendid." Rolen responded with a laugh. "Their scouts must have finally crawled back." He took a great bite out of his mutton joint and then turned to an aide standing next to him. "Send word to those senile old lords and the rest of the rabble we have lined up outside to get themselves in order."  
  
"Are your personal forces prepared?" The pale man asked him.  
  
"Of course, of course." Rolen dismissed the question with a wave of his hand. "They're tucked away in the western woods, ready to come out once the slaughter begins. Unless of course your masters can't stick to the plan." He told the pale man jeeringly.  
  
The pale man fought the urge to throttle Rolen with one of the greasy bones lying on the table. "My masters will follow the plan completely and successfully."  
  
Rolen opened his mouth to say more, but before he could speak one of the guards from the main gate appeared in the doorway.  
  
"My Lord" He began in an uneasy voice. "The Tachikawan Princess is at the gate, she says that if you don't speak to her immediately, she'll march her forces back to her own country right away."  
  
The pale man smiled sharply, another one of the pieces was falling perfectly into place. But the smile quickly disappeared from his lips when Rolen voiced his response.  
  
"The impetuous bitch!" He roared. "Who does think she is, to demand an audience with me, High Lord of all Ishida?" He shot up from his chair and furiously hurled his goblet at the guard. "Tell her to march her army wherever she pleases! I'll destroy it soon en- GAK!"  
  
In a flash of fury, the pale man grabbed Rolen by the neck and lifted him off the floor. "You drunken fool!" He snarled.  
  
Rolen's face went pale as he desperately clawed at the pale man's hands. Little whimpers of terror were all that escaped the crushing hold on his throat. His guards shrunk back in horror  
  
The pale man held him there for a moment, letting him feel the unnatural strength coursing through his thin arms, showing him the rows of sharp little teeth poised near his throat, and the hungry, dangerous glow in his yellow cat-eyes.  
  
"You will receive the Princess in all haste." He said in a feral growl. "She will want to see the boy, and you will let her. You will lead her up to his room, and then you will kill them both. You will do this or else I will tear you to pieces. Do you understand?" He squeezed Rolen's throat tighter.  
  
"Y-yes." Rolen choked out. " Yes I-I understand."  
  
"Very good." The pale man threw him to the floor. "There are other matters I must attend to, but I will return shortly. And if they are not dead by that time, you will be." He gave one final menacing growl and then quickly strode out a side door.  
  
Rolen stayed on the ground for some moments, wheezing and carefully rubbing his throbbing throat. Those ravenous yellow eyes kept flashing through his mind. His hands started to tremble, and a cold sweat leaked down his forehead.  
  
"Y-you four come with me." He finally motioned to his guards, who were still standing shocked next to the table. He stood up and shaking, pulled his cloak around his neck to hide the already blossoming bruises.  
  
It is no matter, he told himself as he walked out the door, his guards falling in step behind him. He had always meant to kill the boy once his own power was firmly established, so he could not find any fault in doing it now. Nor could he find any harm in ridding himself of the spoiled little brat princess. He would kill them both a hundred times if it meant he would not have to look in those horrible yellow eyes again.  
  
Up ahead in the hallway, Rolen could hear the Princess and her guards being lead towards him. He forced himself to stop trembling. And when Mimi came before him, he had a fake, charming smile already in place.  
  
"My dear Princess." He said with an overly dramatic bow. "I heard that you wished an audience with me, and right away I rushed to be at your service."  
  
Mimi did not return the smile, and made no effort to hide the intense hatred in her voice and expression. "Lord Rolen, I demand to speak with King Ryo at once. My forces will not take the field otherwise."  
  
"Your Highness." Rolen whined. "There is no need for threats, of course you may meet with the King. I will accompany you to his room right this moment." He reached into a pocket and pulled out a small key.  
  
Mimi's eyes narrowed as she looked at the key. "Do you find it necessary to keep your king locked away like a prisoner?"  
  
An angry blush appeared in Rolen's cheeks. He began to enjoy the thought of killing her.  
  
"Why of course not." He spat through an ever-shrinking smile. "But his majesty is still too young to properly defend himself, and there are many who would like to do him harm. It is for his own protection that I keep the only key to his quarters. But I'm sure the king would be glad to explain all of this to you himself." He stepped slightly to the side and beckoned for Mimi to walk next to him.  
  
The Princess eyed him suspiciously, but began to follow. The two sets of guards uneasily fell in amongst each other and trailed behind. The guard from the main gate making it five of Rolen's against four of Mimi's.  
  
Not a word was spoken as Rolen led the way up a flight of spiral stairs to one of the towers. His hand drifted towards the dagger hanging on his belt. He reached the top of the stairway and pointed to a heavy oaken door at the end of a short hallway.  
  
"His majesty's quarters." He told Mimi. "I will see you to the door, and then you may talk in private." He flashed another mean smile and held out the small key to her.  
  
Mimi hesitated a moment before taking it, then walked quickly to the door.  
  
Rolen stepped behind her, gently easing the dagger out of its sheath, hiding it from her guards with his cloak. His men anxiously fingered their swords. He held the point just against her back, ready to kill her as soon as she turned the key in the lock.  
  
Mimi reached down to unlock the door, but just before she slid the key into its hole, she strangely heard her father's voice in her head, sternly telling her to remember her manners. She smiled ruefully to herself, and gave the heavy oak a solid knock with her knuckle.  
  
Rolen was so focused on waiting for the moment to strike that the unexpected noise startled him for the briefest of seconds, and he reflexively pulled the dagger back. So that when Mimi unlocked the door he did not strike immediately, and in that little gap of time the door was suddenly opened from the inside. A hand snaked out, and in one fluid motion grabbed Mimi by the wrist and yanked her towards the opening, the key still clutched in her hand.  
  
In shock, Rolen lunged forward, and catching hold of the back of her dress, tried to pull her back. But the fabric was not up to such a contest, and with a buzzing rip Mimi was pulled through the door, which was then slammed shut and locked from the inside.  
  
Rolen was left staring in utter disbelief at the six inches of starched pink fabric clutched in his hand.  
  
////////////////////////////////////////  
  
  
  
Mimi did not even have time to register her surprise before she found herself looking into the frantic face of a boy who must have been Ryo. His soft features marked his youth, but he was just barely shorter than she was. And she could not help thinking that his light blue eyes and pale blonde hair reminded her of Matt.  
  
Then from outside the door she heard angry yells and the clamber of steel. Her men had automatically assumed treachery when she was snatched inside. Her eyes widened and she rushed to help them. But the boy wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her back.  
  
"You can't go back out!" He pleaded desperately. "Rolen will kill you!"  
  
"No, my guards!" Mimi screeched, trying to struggle away from him.  
  
But after a few more seconds the sounds of fighting ceased. And through the door they heard Rolen's furious order to "Break down the door!" followed by the hacking sound of his men attacking the oak with their swords.  
  
Mimi squeezed her eyes shut against the angry tears. How could she have been so blind and stupid? How could she.  
  
"You are Princess Mimi, right?" The boy's high voice cut through her thoughts.  
  
She opened her eyes and looked at him closely, noticing now that his eyes were red and baggy from lack of sleep. His face looked sunken and pale.  
  
"Yes." She answered him. "And you are King Ryo?"  
  
The boy shook his head. "My name is Ryo. But I don't know how I could be the king, at least not the rightful one." He frowned and bit his lip. For a second Mimi thought he was going to cry.  
  
"Rolen's kept me locked up ever since he found me back in Smithytown. He's been using some birthmark I have to get the Ishidian lords under his power. And now he's been plotting to turn your kingdom against Kamiya."  
  
"I thought he was coming up here to kill me." Ryo continued. "I was waiting by the door to try and kill him, or get away, or something. But when I heard you knock, I decide to take a chance. Rolen and his men have never knocked." He looked at Mimi reverently, like she was some sort of guardian angel.  
  
As Mimi absorbed the words a deep, horrible fear settled in the pit of her stomach. She had to struggle not to dissolve into panic. "We have to get out of here." She said, rubbing her face with her hands. She looked back at the door, it still seemed to be holding fast, but she knew it could not possibly last much longer. And even as she thought this she heard the wood began to crack and splinter.  
  
"Do you have any weapons?" She asked Ryo.  
  
The boy nodded and pulled up his shirt slightly. "These were hidden behind a loose stone, they must have been there since before Rolen repaired the castle." He nodded at four long, dagger-like weapons stuffed in his belt. Each was three-pronged, the two blades on the outside much shorter then the single blade in the middle. He pulled out two of them and gave them to Mimi.  
  
She frowned deeply as she weighed them in her hands. The things were ancient; the metal was misshapen and completely rusted over, the blades so dull that they would serve more as clubs than knives.  
  
Just then a loud crack sounded through the room as the tip of a sword pierced the oaken door.  
  
"No, that's pointless" Mimi muttered to herself. "We can't fight them off even with real weapons." She looked about the room frantically. "Is there any way out of here?" She asked Ryo.  
  
The boy flinched and gave an unsure nod "I've thought of one that might work."  
  
He rushed to a small curtained nook in the farthest corner of the room, Mimi right behind him. He hurriedly pulled away the curtain, revealing a hollow stone bench, which was covered by a long piece of sanded wood with a large hole in the middle.  
  
Mimi's stomach turned just at the thought of it. "A lavatory?" She almost screamed.  
  
"There isn't any other way!" Ryo shouted back, already using one of his knives to pry away the wood.  
  
"Oh my God." Mimi muttered to herself. She leaned over Ryo's shoulder and spit down the hole, waiting for a discouraging amount of seconds before she heard it splat against something. She thought she could detect traces of a disgusting stench wafting up from the bottom.  
  
"It slopes downward after the initial drop." Ryo reassured her as he pulled away the last of the wood. "I checked it once with a lantern."  
  
"A lavatory." Mimi cringed again, already mentally conditioning herself for what she knew she would have to do.  
  
Behind them the door cracked and splintered even more. Ryo slung his feet over the hole and sat on the edge. Mimi griped her knives tightly. They both looked anxiously towards the door.  
  
Rolen's guards stopped trying to cut through with their swords, and instead rammed against the door with their armored shoulders. It groaned and whined as is slowly broke in half, then one more great heave and the guards were through.  
  
Mimi felt a tiny burst of wounded pride as she counted three guards plus Rolen following behind them. At least her own men had gotten two of the bastards. She gave Ryo a shove in the back as he dropped down the hole. Then she took an easy hold on one of her weapons, and trying to remember everything Matt and Jun had ever taught her, she hurled it at the chest of the nearest guard. She knew she had missed as soon as the blade left her hand, but to her great surprise, the weapon embedded itself in the guard's throat instead, sending him to the floor in a spurt of blood. As the other guards rushed towards her, Mimi took a deep breath, clamped her eyes shut, and pushed herself down the hole.  
  
For five of the most horrifying seconds of her life Mimi fell into darkness. Then, just as she was beginning to fear that there really was not a bottom, she crashed into it. Immediately she began to slide down a nearly vertical slope of worn, wet stonework, quickly picking up so much speed that the musty air whipped past her face. She tried to push her hands and feet against the sides of the tunnel to slow her descent. But even as she started to do, she slammed hard into a wall where the tunnel changed direction. Excruciating flashes of light filled the darkness as her head cracked against the stone, and something hot and stinging ran down into her eyes as she started to slide down to the right.  
  
Three more bone-crushing changes in direction awaited her. On the next one, she hit her shoulder so hard that she lost her grip on the lone remaining knife and it went clattering down ahead of her. By the third one the air had become so thickly putrid and stagnant that she started to choke on it. And the final bruising hit almost knocked her unconscious. But after the final one, she only slid for a few more seconds before she was falling again. Panic overtook her completely and she opened her mouth to scream. But before she had the chance, she splashed down in a deep pool of water.  
  
At least, she imagined it to be water in the split second before it came rushing into her open mouth. Then she remembered what the tunnel really was. She screamed uncontrollably, letting more and more of the foul stuff seep into her mouth and down her throat. Her mind flashed white with terror and she started struggling to reach the surface. But her long, thick dress wrapped around her legs, dragging her deeper. She started to choke and gag. She was drowning.  
  
Suddenly a strong hand grabbed her by the wrist. It started to pull her up and she kicked with all her might, up and up until she thought her lungs would burst. But then her head finally broke the surface. She coughed and sputtered, and then desperately sucked in lungful after lungful of the putrid air.  
  
The hand started to tow her to the left, and before she could realize what was happening she had been pulled onto a narrow stone ledge. It then that what had just happened fully hit her. She was drenched in filth and waste. It burned her eyes and nose. She could taste it in her mouth and feel it sloshing around in her stomach.  
  
Mimi started to scream hysterically, stunned beyond all sense. The agonizing sound reverberated through the narrow tunnel. The hand that had saved her clamped around her mouth, and she twisted and fought against it, thinking in her terror and shock that she was drowning again.  
  
"Please, Princess." A voice pleaded close to her ear. "Please stop."  
  
It was the sad, tender tone of the voice rather than the words themselves that somehow trickled through her panic. Her mind griped it like a life preserver, and slowly she came back in control of her senses. She stopped screaming and the hand gratefully released her mouth. She sat on the ledge shaking for a moment before leaning over and retching as she tried to clear her mouth and throat.  
  
"Are you hurt? The voice asked. And Mimi remembered it now as Ryo's.  
  
"I don't think so." She whispered back to the darkness next to her. "I think I'm all-" Before she finished the thought a horrible dread came over her in an icy chill. The fear was not for herself, but for the special concern she had tried desperately not to think about during the recent stressful months.  
  
Mimi carefully felt along her abdomen with her hands. She did not remember being hit there, but she could not be sure. For a few gruesome seconds she did not even dare to breath. And only when she could not feel any sign of tenderness or pain did she release a long grateful sigh.  
  
"Yes, I think I'm okay." She told Ryo.  
  
The boy gave a relieved sigh in the darkness, and Mimi heard him slowly moving around on the ledge.  
  
"The ledge ends a few feet behind us, if we're facing so that our right hands touch this wall next to us." He said.  
  
Mimi tentatively stuck out her right hand. The wall was no more than a few inches away, wet and slimy.  
  
"We have to follow the ledge then." She said softly, though her heart still pounded in her ears. "Even though we have no idea."  
  
She stopped speaking as Ryo griped her by the shoulder. She could feel the tension and fear flowing from his hand, and immediately she went completely still, straining her ears for whatever had startled the boy. For a moment all she could make out was the light tapping of the stagnant water against the ledge, and an eerie chorus of drips somewhere down the tunnel. But then she became aware of a metallic shrieking sound, like a rake being scraped across a rock face. It was coming from somewhere in the roof of the tunnel.  
  
The shrieking became louder, and Mimi desperately racked her mind for some explanation. The sound was horrible to listen to in the stinking darkness. And fresh dread began to seep through both of them. Every second brought it closer and made it louder, until finally it seemed like the tunnel was filled with it.  
  
All at once Mimi gasped as the answer came to her. She turned to Ryo and began pushing him along the ledge. "It's Rolen's men!" She whispered frantically. "They followed us do-"  
  
But her words were lost as something splashed down in the water almost directly beside them, showering them with the foul stuff. The sound of the splash roared through the cramped tunnel like thunder.  
  
Mimi and Ryo scrambled farther along the ledge, cringing as a second, and then a third splash exploded through the tunnel. It was not until the first booming echoes began to die away that they stopped. And maybe fifteen feet behind them they could hear the sound of something slapping madly against the water, and two cracking voices calling for help.  
  
Mimi was not ashamed to feel sad satisfaction as she realized what was going on. Rolen's guards wore heavy armor, and that armor was killing them now, dragging them to the bottom of the waste river just as Mimi's dress had. But there was no one to rescue them. And Mimi could not think of a more deserving way for men like them to die.  
  
She and Ryo remained still as the tunnel regained its deathly silence. They had counted three splashes, but only two voices crying for help. They huddled close together on the ledge and barely even breathed as they waited for some sign of whoever had made the third splash. Ryo became aware of something hard poking him in the stomach, realizing after a witless second that it was the knives still tucked in his belt. He slowly eased them out, handing one of them back to Mimi. She took it gratefully, clutching it so tight that she felt her knuckles turn white. She suddenly wished Matt were there.  
  
They hunched there in the silent darkness for what seemed like hours, but finally Mimi gave Ryo a gentle nudge to start moving. The boy hesitated for a moment, but then he began to crawl forward. He tried not to make any sound, but his hand brushed against a few loose pebbles and sent them skittering along the ledge.  
  
"So there you are." Rolen's cruel, rasping voice answered from the darkness just beyond his face.  
  
Before Ryo even had a chance to respond, he was struck savagely across his face. His hands slipped out from beneath him and he toppled sideways into the water  
  
Mimi started to bring up her knife, but Rolen pounced on her like a cat, driving her to the ground and knocking the wind from her lungs. Her hand smashed against the wall, her knuckles cracking so painfully that the knife slipped from her grasp. She cried out reflexively and swung in front blindly with her other arm.  
  
The blow glanced harmlessly off Rolen's shoulder. And with a feral scream he threw his weight on her, pinning her to the ground. Excited fury burned in his veins. His hands wrapped around her throat like a vice and slowly began to squeeze.  
  
Mimi could not even gasp as she felt her throat being crushed. Hot, screaming fear burned in her chest. She desperately tried to pry away his hands, but she was already becoming so weak. Her body was crying out in pain and she wished that it would stop soon. The darkness seemed so thick all of a sudden, like she could reach up and touch it. She wanted Matt.  
  
"The battle should start soon." Rolen rasped inches from her face. His drool dribbled down onto her cheek. "Your people and the Kamiyinas will destroy each other. And then I shall rule all."  
  
Mimi heard the words from somewhere far away. Sadness pierced her heart like an arrow. She had failed them. She had failed everyone she loved. And now she was going to die.  
  
Rolen gave a snarling laugh and squeezed tighter. He wanted to hear her neck snap like a dry twig.  
  
Behind him Ryo weakly crawled halfway back onto the ledge, leaving his legs dangling in the water. His head throbbed and his face was swollen, but he could hear Rolen's ugly wheezing close beside him. He wrapped one of his arms around Rolen's leg and pulled himself closer. Then he brought up the knife still clutched in his other hand and stabbed down into the fleshy area behind the man's knee.  
  
Rolen screamed in shock. Without thinking he let go of Mimi and whirled around, lashing out blindly in the darkness until he felt Ryo's weight on his leg and began to pound on the boy with his fists.  
  
Mimi gasped and choked on the air rushing into her lungs. Her throat was so tender that it hurt to breathe, and she felt weak and dizzy. But her hands immediately began to search around her, and soon she felt the fallen knife come into her grasp. With the last of her strength she hurled herself at Rolen, putting the knife under her so that all her weight brought it down into his back. She wrenched and twisted the dull blade to bury it deeper.  
  
Rolen howled in pain. He bucked and flailed about wildly, breaking Mimi's weak grasp and throwing her back against the wall. But in doing so he took his attention off Ryo, and with a weak grunt of exertion, the boy dove forward and tackled him to the ground.  
  
Ryo immediately tensed his shoulders, expecting for Rolen to start beating him again. The boy only hoped Mimi was still strong enough to fight. But the blows did not come, and the boy became aware of a wet, gurgling sound, and he felt the man's legs begin to twitch and shake.  
  
Rolen had fallen on his back, forcing the knife upwards until the blade pierced his chest. Blood bubbled from the wound like a hot spring. He moaned and whimpered, suddenly very afraid. And with a last pitiful sob his eyes glazed over and his body went limp.  
  
For a moment Ryo just lay there and caught his breath. Then he got up on his knees and rolled the body off the ledge and into the filthy water. He heard a small splash and then a slow sucking sound as it sunk towards the bottom. He sat there for a few seconds, staring out into the darkness. He had somewhat expected to experience some emotion about the death of the man who, for good or ill, had changed his life and then tried to end it. But Ryo now found that he just did not care.  
  
"Princess?" He whispered finally. "Are you alright?"  
  
"Yes." Mimi softly answered from where she slumped against the wall. Her throat was raw, and her arms and legs felt cold and numb. But more than anything she was just tired. So tired that she almost let herself fall asleep as she rested her head against the cool, slick stone. But then Rolen's words came back to her, filling her muscles and veins with energizing fear.  
  
"We have to stop the battle before its too late." She said as she quickly climbed to her feet, steadying herself against the wall. She reached out and found Ryo's hand in the darkness, pulling him after her as she started off.  
  
For hours the pair slowly picked their way along the ledge. They did not know where the tunnel would end, if it ever would, but it was their only bleak hope. At some points the ledge had crumbled or fallen into the stagnant water. And at these points they were forced to wade or even swim through the waste. They had no concept of time in the darkness, but their hope dwindled with every footstep. After what could have been years they saw a gray little chink of daylight ahead, a spot where part of the tunnel roof had caved in. They clawed at the opening, trying to make it large enough to fit through until their hands bled. They finally crawled out to an evening so dark with clouds that it might have been midnight. They could barely make out the top of the castle far to the east, and with the last reserves of their will and strength, they started towards it. They did not stop even when it began to rain so hard that it was like heaven crying, and the ground beneath them turned to deep pools of mud. They did not stop even as the last of their hope faded. And finally they came into the shadow of the castle, already much too late.  
  
//////////////////////////////////////////////////  
  
  
  
Matt sat in the darkness of his tent, the green skull helmet in his hands. He wanted to wait as long as possible before putting it on.  
  
Six years before, in the first war with Kamiya, Izzy and Miyako had created the identity of the Green Knight. Its idea was based on an old Tachikawan legend that Hadrian, the first Tachikawan king, would return to protect his people whenever they were threatened by evil and darkness. It was Izzy's grim joke about grave robbing that led to the design of the armor. A grinning skeleton freshly risen from the grave, colored green by rot and mold. They made it to look as terrifying and disgusting as they could. And with Matt wearing it on the battlefield, tearing through men like the reaper, it was a truly horrifying sight.  
  
Matt hated the armor; it was like wearing a coffin. He felt trapped inside himself, locked away with the darkness that slept somewhere in the blackest depths of his soul.  
  
"Oh Christ." He muttered to himself angrily. His hands had started to shake just thinking about it.  
  
It was just a heap of forged metal and paint, he scolded himself. And as if to prove it, he put the skull helmet over his head, slowly fastening it to his shoulder plates.  
  
There was a sudden rustle as his tent flap was pushed open. Jun rushed in, her face drawn up with worry. "Matt." She started, but then her voice caught in her throat as she saw him sitting there. Even after seeing him in the armor many times, it was still off-putting for her. It was hard now and then, to remember that her dear friend was in there. His wavy blonde hair covered by the fearsome helmet, his somber blue eyes buried deep within the mask's own black sockets. She blushed ashamedly and looked at her feet, she knew how much he hated the armor  
  
"Matt." She continued tensely, her true fears pushing back into focus. "Mimi hasn't come back yet."  
  
"What?" Matt shot up, his voice sounding distant and guttural from behind the mask.  
  
"She hasn't come back from trying to meet with Rolen." Jun answered him. Waves of guilt washed over her. She had pressed Mimi into attempting another meeting with the bastard.  
  
Matt did not answer, but only drew open the tent and stalked out. Jun followed him without question. She buckled on her own helmet, dark brown with a tall red plume, the same kind worn by the Knights of her home Motomiya.  
  
Thirty soldiers ringed the tent, all of them dressed in green and black armor to match Matt's. They were the Squires of the Green Knight, exceptional warriors pulled from their normal units to fight beside him whenever he donned the armor. They stood at attention as he and Jun passed by, then fell into formation and followed. The other Tachikawan soldiers stopped what they were doing and watched with solemn faces as the group passed, the Green Knight appeared only under the gravest circumstances.  
  
It was a long, fearful walk for Matt. His heart was close to breaking just thinking that something might have happened to Mimi. And the armor seemed to grow heavier, more oppressive with every step, even the purposely- tattered cloak around his shoulders felt like it was cast from lead. Unconsciously he began to step faster as the fear grew in his chest.  
  
The group reached the gate of the castle, and two terrified looking guards hesitantly blocked the gate. "Y-you can't enter." One of them stuttered even as he took a step backwards at Matt's approach.  
  
Matt shoved them both aside and continued on. Other guards stationed beyond the gate bared their weapons and moved to block him. Matt drew his sword, and surely would have killed them rather than have his search for Mimi delayed for one second. Jun and the Squires readily followed suit.  
  
"My Lord, please stop." A high, sharp voice rang through the room. A thin, pale man with yellow eyes stepped in front of him, holding out his hands in supplication.  
  
Matt stayed his hand, vaguely recognizing the man as one of Rolen's lieutenants. He brought his sword down to his side, and Jun and the others mirrored the action.  
  
"Where is Princess Mimi?" Matt asked, his voice low and threatening.  
  
The man did not answer immediately, but only stared at Matt with curiosity and expectation. Then his face abruptly became creased with pain, and he motioned towards the corner of the room.  
  
Matt followed the man's gesture, and immediately his heart sank. Seven bodies lay on the floor, covered by old blankets. Four of them wore Tachikawan military boots, Mimi's guards. The other three were Rolen's.  
  
"We found them in a hallway near the King's room." The pale man whispered as sadly as he could. "But we could find nothing of Lord Rolen, King Ryo, or Princess Mimi, except for this." He held out the piece of Mimi's dress that Rolen had torn off, only now it had been soaked in blood.  
  
"We expect it was assassins sent by Kamiya."  
  
Jun stared at the man in anger, but she could not find any words. Tears welled up in her eyes and she turned to Matt. The soldiers bowed their heads, or looked helplessly at their leader.  
  
Without a word, Matt reached up and took the piece of fabric from the pale man's hand. He stared at it for a moment, as his heart and spirit softly broke apart. Mimi was dead. A yawning void opened up in the pit of his being, and he slowly sunk down into it. And as he did so, the darkness stirred in his soul, rising up in a wave and brushing away the crumbling husk that had been his iron will. Matt felt it happen, but he did not care. Why should he care, when Mimi had gone away, and taken everything that mattered with her? He closed his eyes, slipping back into the dark dream of shadow and nothingness that he vaguely remembered from years before.  
  
Underneath the skull helmet, the Green Knight's features became pale and hard. The blue of his eyes twisted and swirled until they were the cruel, merciless color of a storm at sea. He grinned like a starving wolf.  
  
"The Kamiyians." He said, his voice as sharp as cold steel. "I shall destroy them." He turned to his soldiers standing mournfully behind him. "Prepare for battle."  
  
The pale man smiled to himself.  
  
"Wait!" Jun shouted, catching the Green Knight by the arm. "He's lying! The Kamiyians wouldn't do it. Rolen must have killed."  
  
Her voice died off as the Knight turned to her. The horrible, bottomless eye sockets boring into her like a cold hand on her heart. She was suddenly scared senseless, like a little girl coming face to face with a monster from her worst nightmares. In the depths of her terror, she could not imagine that it was her dear friend inside the armor.  
  
Away in the distance, there came the braying of horns. The Kamiyian forces had arrived, arrayed and ready for battle.  
  
The Knight released Jun from his stare as he turned towards the sound. "It is time." He said, a glint of satisfaction in his voice. He pulled his arm from Jun's grasp and walked out of the castle, the Squires falling in behind him as if under a spell.  
  
Jun stared after him, her fear fading as he moved farther away. She reached up and wiped her eyes, realizing with a blush of embarrassment that she had started to cry. She felt defeated, hopeless. With the last of her courage, she started running to find Izzy and Miyako. If everything was going to end, then she wanted to stand by the friends she still had  
  
///////////////////////////////////////////////  
  
  
  
Tai and TK had barely spoken a word to each other during the three-day march. They did not need to; their thoughts were bonded to a single line. Ken's words repeated themselves over and over, wearing away any doubt of their truth. One of them would have to face the Green Knight, and one of them would die in doing so. For three days they had silently ridden side by side, fighting their fear of what lay ahead.  
  
In the early afternoon of the third day, The Kamiyians and their allies made their final camp at the edge of the southern woods. Rolen's castle lay directly ahead.  
  
By this time, TK felt like he was wandering in a numb daze. His heart throbbed with a dull ache, and his mind was a tangle of fear and hopeless thoughts. He had never felt so alone, not even Kari could help him through this. He would not even dare to tell her.  
  
He turned to where his wife was carefully laying medical instruments on a strip of clean linen. She had put a chain mail vest over a long shirt and a pair of leather trousers. A slightly oversized helmet covered her soft brown hair. She was starting to show, TK realized, staring at the barely noticeable bulge in her stomach. A deep, quaking sorrow traveled through him at the thought. He did not want to leave her; he did not want to leave their baby. But how could he let Tai give himself up? How could he lose another brother? No matter what he did, everyone he loved would end up hurt.  
  
Kari looked up and saw him, and even though her eyes were strained with fatigue and worry, her face immediately bloomed into a loving, tender smile. She left her task and came to wrap her arms around him.  
  
TK urgently hugged her back, his senses drinking in all of her. God, he loved her so much.  
  
"Stay back here with Sora and Jyou." He whispered to her, struggling to keep the fear and turmoil out of his voice. "And do whatever Jyou says."  
  
She gave a small grin and kissed his cheek. "I'll be safe." She told him. "Just as long as you come back to me." She leaned back and cupped his eyes in her hands. "Promise?"  
  
"Promise." He answered. The word almost caught in his throat, he felt like he was lying.  
  
She smiled again and put her arms back around his neck. "I love you." She whispered. Her voice trembled, letting him know just how scared she really was.  
  
They held each other close for much too short a time, before footsteps coming near made them look up.  
  
Sora was dressed the same as Kari. Her cinnamon eyes were soft and caring, and she wore her shy, little half-smile that just brimmed over with quiet strength. Tai held her hand tightly. His face was drawn up and apprehensive, and his brown eyes looked so old, like hearths filled with ash and dying embers.  
  
"It's time." He told them, his voice low but firm.  
  
The words brought a sudden gust of cold dread to the pit of TK's stomach, but he ignored it and nodded his consent and agreement. Kari pulled him into one last hug, then a final long look, and a short, soft kiss. Beside them Tai and Sora did the same. Then both women gently slid from their husbands and walked over towards the medical tents. They were soldier's wives, used to quick, uncertain goodbyes.  
  
"They'll be okay." Tai said as he and TK watched them leave. "They'll listen to Jyou, even if they don't listen to us." He said it as if trying to reassure himself.  
  
They turned to each other for a moment, barely able to look each other in the eye, and then without speaking they turned and started walking. They both felt helpless and lost, torn in a hundred different directions, but they were too scared and ashamed to admit it to each other, even as precious time mercilessly drained away.  
  
Attendants had set out their armor and horses at one of the command tents. And they silently pulled on their breastplates and gauntlets, making sure that the joints were oiled and loose.  
  
Tai held his helmet in his hands, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. Then he opened his eyes and the uncertainty and doubt was gone from them, leaving only a cold determination.  
  
"I'm leading the center group, you take the right, Rordan takes the left." He stated, his voice gaining a commanding edge.  
  
A pang of dread shot through TK's chest; reports said the Green Knight always fought in the center. He blinked his eyes and tapped the gold shooting star painted on his armor above his heart. "I always take the center." He said softly, looking down at the ground  
  
"Well I'm taking it today." Tai responded a little too curtly and uneasily. "I want you to flank them."  
  
"I'm a better warrior than you." TK whispered, looking him straight in the eye.  
  
Tai's face began to flush. "Which is exactly why I want you on the flank." His voice was rising with nerves and frustration. "You have to be able to cut them off."  
  
"I won't let you do this, Tai."  
  
"Do what?"  
  
"I'm not going to let you die." TK nearly shouted, his face scrunching up with the sudden threat of tears.  
  
Tai's face narrowed. "And you think I'm going to let you?" He gritted his teeth. "You aren't a king yet, Takeru. And I'm giving you an order."  
  
"I don't care!" TK shot back. "I won't let you sacrifice yourself over me!"  
  
Tai's eyes burned with sorrow and anger. Why couldn't TK just understand? "I swear to God, Takeru." He made his voice low and threatening. "If you say another word, I'll have you removed from the field. Now I'm ordering you to get to your post."  
  
Part of TK wanted to cry, and part of him wanted to beat Tai senseless, or do anything to keep him from doing this. But he did nothing. He just stared hard into Tai's eyes, trying to plead with him.  
  
Tai held his stare, knowing that he was doing the right thing. "Get to your post." He ordered. Then he pulled his battered gold helmet over his head, climbed on his horse and rode away.  
  
To his everlasting shame, TK's first instinct was to feel relieved. The decision was out of his hands, the choice taken away from him. But immediately he hated himself for even thinking this. He should be the one to make the sacrifice; he was the only one who could. He envisioned himself jumping on his horse and riding after Tai, forcing him to somehow see the light, making him realize that this was the only way.  
  
But even as he thought this, he knew that it would not happen. He was too tired and scared, too weak to do it.  
  
TK pulled on his steel helmet and visor, hiding the tears trickling from the corners of his eyes. He climbed slowly up on his mount, and rode towards the right side of the camp. A few moments later Cody rode up next to him on the right, a steel breastplate strapped over his brown monk's robes, an old bronze helmet capped his head. His mace dangled from a leather strip around his wrist, and rosary beads were draped over his hands. His face was solemn and calm.  
  
The pair rode past a grouping of green tents, where his green and silver arrayed Takaishian guards stood at attention. TK slowed down briefly and saluted, immediately the warriors mounted their horses and fell in formation behind him. Lucas rode at the front, just off TK's left shoulder.  
  
The group rode a few moments more, and then they came to where the right division had already been massed. Two rows of cavalry stood at the front, six rows of infantry behind them. TK recognized the colors of some of the younger Kamiyian lords, as well as some of the Ishidians gathered by Lord Artur. They had no idea they were about to follow their rightful king into battle.  
  
TK led his group to the front of the division, and as he passed the common soldiers turned and saluted him, their faces filling up with courage and strength just knowing that the Iron Prince was leading them. The nobles turned and acknowledged him as well, their eyes and minds growing wide with legends and rumors. Even the older lords, more experienced and practical, proudly showed him their respect. They knew the Iron Prince to be a warrior without equal, strong and courageous.  
  
TK had to struggle to keep his head from dropping in shame, thankful that his helmet and visor hid the quiet tears that he could not get to stop. He felt like a coward.  
  
The group stopped at the head of the division, and TK looked out across the Kamiyian lines. Lord Rordan's division was gathered at the other side of the clearing. TK could just make out the venerable old lord's scarred and rusty armor. Tai sat determinedly on his horse at the head of the center division, so calm and still that he looked like a statue. TK could not bring himself to look away from him.  
  
Tai motioned to an aide at his side; the soldier brought a curved ivory horn to his lips and blew a loud, strong call. Horns from all over the Kamiyian lines answered immediately. Tai nodded to himself and kicked his horse into a trot. For two long steps he moved alone, but then all three divisions were marching with him down the field.  
  
TK finally managed to turn his head forward, and for the first time he seemed to really notice the enemy lines in front of him. They looked small and harmless compared to the castle rising behind them, framed by the black, menacing clouds blotting out the sky. TK could make out stragglers rushing to fill their places in the enemy formation, but no sign of the green armor.  
  
Without consciously thinking, TK drew his sword and laid it across his saddle, then reached over and tightened the straps of his shield around his arm. Behind him, he heard Cody start to quietly say the Lord's Prayer. Most of those near enough to hear, joined him, or mouthed the words to themselves. TK remained silent, God seemed helpless and far away from him.  
  
The Tachikawans and their Ishidian allies began to march forward. And in response, the Kamiyian divisions increased their speed, the cavalry moving fast enough that the foot soldiers had to jog to keep up, their armor jangling in tune with their foot falls. The Tachikawans likewise increased their pace, and soon the Kamiyians answered with a faster one. And then all at once both sides broke into a full charge, the open ground between them evaporating like morning mist.  
  
TK tightened his grip on his sword, ice-cold fear pumped from his gut up through his veins. He quickly turned his head one more time, catching a brief flash of Tai's golden helmet, and just as he turned back towards the front, the two sides exploded into each other.  
  
For the first dizzying moments TK did not think at all. He merely fought, escaping into the unparalleled strength and skill that were his birthright. Blows came at him, and he fended them off. Men came close to fight him, and he killed them. When he finally had time to breathe and think clear thoughts, he looked around and saw that his division's initial surge had cut deep into the enemy ranks. He seemed surrounded by frantic, rider less horses.  
  
TK turned his own mount and looked behind him. Cody was steadily working his way forward, his mace crashing down on men's skulls like a hammer. Lucas and the rest of the Takaishians were close on his heels.  
  
A fresh shot of fear suddenly filled TK's chest. He turned and looked breathlessly for Tai, spotting him not too far away, still apparently unharmed, and hastily dispatching every opponent. There was no sign of the Green Knight.  
  
TK felt his heart flood with relief, maybe Ken had been wrong, and maybe everything would be okay. But even as he thought this, he heard a low, dark call from a horn. The sound seemed to hum through his body, filling him with absolute terror. And then he saw it, rioting out of the castle gates at the head of a group of riders. A horrible vision of rotting death.  
  
TK could feel his heart screaming at him to move, to do something. But he was terrified beyond reason, frozen in place like a hunted animal. He watched helplessly as the Green Knight roared through the battle, parting the sea of men with his bloodied sword. Tai waited for him, set and unwavering.  
  
"Don't, Tai." TK whispered. "Please don't" He urged his horse slowly forward.  
  
The Green Knight rode up on Tai, rearing up his horse so that his first sword blow came down in a crushing arc. Tai barely blocked the strike with his shield, the raw force of it almost knocking him from the saddle. Off balance, Tai tried to bring his sword around for a backhanded slash. But the blow only glanced harmlessly off the Green Knight's own shield, and he struck with the flat of his sword, catching Tai savagely in the face. The young man's head whipped back, his helmet flying to the ground. Immediately the Green Knight struck again, stabbing into his left side. Tai gasped in pain. His eyes clenched shut and he fell out of the saddle.  
  
"No!" TK screamed, fear, sorrow, and anger all mixing together. He spurred his horse into a full charge, fighting his way through the tangled mass of warriors.  
  
The Green Knight dismounted and stood beside Tai's unconscious form. Slowly, he lined his sword up with the young man's neck, and then raised it high in the air. Beneath the mask his face broke into a cruel smile, and he brought down the sword for the deathblow.  
  
But he did not land it.  
  
TK dove out of his saddle, tackling the Green Knight square in the chest and knocking him away from Tai. For a few seconds TK had the Knight pinned to the ground, but before he could bring his sword into play, the Knight got a hold around his neck and threw him off.  
  
TK's breath was knocked from his lungs as he collided with the ground; his hand almost braking as it came down on his sword hilt at a painfully odd angle. He heard a feral growl behind him and instinctively rolled to his left, just as a sword cut into the ground a few inches from his head. He kicked out blindly, connecting with the Knight's abdomen and sending him stumbling a few steps backward.  
  
TK pushed himself up on his feet and held his sword in front of his face, realizing in a flash of anger that he had lost his shield somewhere along the way. But the Green Knight had lost his as well, and now stood a few feet away, holding his sword with both hands, and staring into TK with his empty eyes.  
  
The stare was like ice water poured over TK's heart. He tried to shut the feeling away and lunged forward, trying to go on the attack. But the Green Knight was too fast, too strong. He parried TK's blows with despicable ease, and then attacked with a screaming sideways cut. TK was just barely able to jump back as the strike ripped a gaping hole in his armor, and drew a thin line of blood across his stomach. Before he could even feel the pain, the Green Knight surged forward, raining down sword strokes.  
  
It was all TK could do to keep his sword up in front of him. With every blow the pain vibrated down the blade and through his arms, until finally his hands were so numb he could not feel the sword handle. His arms and shoulders burned with white fire, his breath came in ragged gasps that filled his mouth with a cold, metallic taste.  
  
He knew he was dying. He was a child fighting a demon with no chance of victory. His only hope was that he had truly taken Tai's place on the sacrificial alter, that his adopted brother could end it all. That he could protect everyone. Protect Kari and the baby.  
  
You promised her.  
  
The voice floated slowly up from his heart, born on an inner shadow. TK knew it at once, knew the part of him in it. He tried to push it back down, lock it back in the cage that he had worked so hard to strengthen. His lapse of concentration cost him, as the tip of the Green Knight's sword pierced his shoulder.  
  
You promised never to leave her.  
  
I don't want to leave her! TK screamed inside himself. Fury flooded his senses and he suddenly lashed out with such strength that the Green Knight had to jump back or loose his head.  
  
You are abandoning her. She will not survive without you.  
  
The Darkness moved in his heart like bubbling oil. It could not force its way past TK's strength, but it could tempt him, berate him, attack him where he was weakest.  
  
The Green Knight redoubled his efforts, a few more moments and TK would no longer have the strength to defend himself.  
  
You are killing her.  
  
No! TK moaned. He could not let the darkness take him, not even if he had to die. Not even if. Kari.  
  
The Green Knight's sword bored down on TK, forcing him almost to his knees  
  
You promised.  
  
TK's heart and soul cried out in anguish and pain. In all the world there was only one thing he was truly afraid of, afraid for. Kari. Their baby. He did not want to leave them. And in the moment before he would surely die, he let his control slip away. The darkness broke him with his own love, his own light. The blue of his eyes froze into ice, his mouth twisted up in a wolf's grin. And the Iron Prince crossed swords with the Green Knight.  
  
Within seconds the combatants were back on equal ground, matching each other blow for blow. Their swords crashed together, showering them with orange sparks. A grinding screech filled the air as the metal cried out in protest. The earth seemed to tremble beneath their feet.  
  
They fought for many minutes, but neither could gain the slightest advantage. They were too perfectly matched. So they fought on, never tiring, never weakening. And they would have fought until their swords broke in half, and they had only their bare hands. But something happened that can only be called random chance.  
  
The Green Knight trod on a patch of loose earth, and his foot slipped slightly beneath him. He was off-balance and vulnerable for half a second, and that was all it took.  
  
The Iron Prince struck him across the face, shattering the lower half of the skull mask. The Knight stumbled backwards, leaving himself open to a follow-up blow that crushed his fingers, and sent his sword flying from his grasp. One more strike with the flat of the Prince's sword blade, and the Knight was on his back, staring dizzily up at the man who was surely about to kill him. The Iron Prince stomped on the Knight's chest with his right foot, pinning him to the ground. Then he placed the point of his sword just above the Knight's throat, and started to stab downwards.  
  
But suddenly the blade stopped, the deadly tip poised no more than an inch above the Green Knight's throat. The sword began to gently tremble as it hung in the air.  
  
The Iron Prince's frozen eyes began to melt slightly as they stared down at the Knight. The horrible death grin of the skull helmet was gone, replaced by the lower part of a pale human face. A fresh gash on the right corner of the mouth was dribbling bold red blood. It was just a man, not a monster, not a demon, just a man.  
  
The Green Knight was puzzled by the fact that he was not dead yet. He could see the sword point hovering just above his neck. And slowly, he slid his nearest hand underneath his body, clutching at the dagger hidden in the small of his back. It was a sword-breaker, the cutting edge carved into serrated shark's teeth.  
  
Just a man, TK repeated it to himself as he woke from a horrible dream, fighting against the oppressive weight of the darkness on his being. Too many men had already died because he could not control the darkness. But he would not let it happen again. The darkness could do nothing but scream and wail as it was pushed back into its pit. It was powerless in the face of TK's renewed strength and spirit.  
  
After a single moment of struggle, TK found himself back in control. And immediately he felt cold with exhaustion, so drained that it took an immense effort just to hold up his sword. But he kept himself steady as he looked down at the Green Knight.  
  
"I'm not going to kill you." He said wearily.  
  
The Green Knight did not respond. The words meant nothing to him. His grip on the dagger tightened, his muscles tensing in anticipation.  
  
Slowly, carefully, TK used the point of his sword to push away the remains of the Knight's skull helmet. He wanted to see the man's face.  
  
And when he did, his first thought was that he was so tired he was hallucinating. But the face did not blur or change, it stayed the same face that had occupied so many of his dreams, the face he knew instantly, but had given up hope of ever seeing again.  
  
"Matt." He whispered reverently, so low that even he could barely hear it.  
  
His heart began to race, feeling like it was flying through the air. His face broke into a broad, childish grin. He was so relieved, so happy and amazed that he did not notice the frozen look on the Knight's face.  
  
He unthinkingly dropped his sword, so eager to pull off his helmet and show his beloved brother that it was him.  
  
The Green Knight saw nothing but an opening. In a second he was on his feet. The dagger flashed through the air, burying itself in TK's stomach before he even saw it.  
  
TK felt fire rip through his abdomen. It hurt so much. He tried to swallow, but for some reason found it impossible. So he tried to take a step away, but only collapsed limply against the Green Knight.  
  
"Matt." He whispered again, his voice suddenly no stronger than a child's. His helmet felt like it was choking him, so he weakly lifted his arms and pushed it off his head. Then he just stared longingly into his brother's familiar blue eyes.  
  
The darkness drained out of Matt in an instant, its work already done. The stormy haze left his eyes, and everything was horribly clear.  
  
"Takeru.? Oh God no!"  
  
TK's legs gave out beneath him and he started slipping. Matt frantically wrapped his arms around him and lowered him as gently as possible to the ground. He brushed the hair off TK's forehead and suddenly all he could see was his baby brother; his wide blue eyes creased with hurt and confusion, his dirty, smudged, angelic face twisted up in pain. A line of bright red blood trailed down the corner of his mouth.  
  
"I'm so sorry, Matt." TK whispered. "I'm sorry I stopped looking for you." Tears glittered in his eyes like stars.  
  
Matt's heart and soul screamed, blinding him with a torrent of pain and anguish. "Oh God. I.I."  
  
"Get away from him you murdering bastard!" Tai's voice was a hurt, furious whine. He could barely stay conscious, and blood was flowing rapidly from the wound in his side. Tears were already washing through the dirt and blood on his cheeks. He grabbed Matt by the neck and pulled him off TK. Then he threw him to the ground and raised his fists to beat him to death. But as he looked down into the other's man stunned, shattered eyes, Tai suddenly did not have the strength for it.  
  
Forgetting Matt, Tai crawled to TK's side, gently lifting the young man up and cradling him in his arms. He appeared so much younger, so much weaker. Tai looked down at the wound in TK's stomach and felt sick. It was a mangled hole of flesh and blood.  
  
Matt sat up weakly and reached out to TK. But everything inside him seemed to come apart at once. His face exploded into racking sobs and he dropped his head into his hands.  
  
"TK! TK it's me, its Tai, your brother!" Tai tried to make his voice strong and comforting. "TK you have to stay with me!"  
  
TK slowly turned his attention to him. "Tai.?" He whispered. Then all at once his eyes opened wide with fear and he tried to sit up, desperately clutching Tai by the arm. "Tai." He said as loud as he could. "Oh God I promised! Tai, I promised Kari!"  
  
He tried to say more, but he suddenly bent over into a hacking cough. Blood came pouring out of his mouth.  
  
Tai cringed and held him tighter. "TK listen!" His voice cracked. "I'm going to get you to Jyou, okay! He's going to take care of you! Just please stay with me!" He pleaded, his vision blurred with tears.  
  
TK tried to answer, but he could not get any words from his mouth. He gasped as a cold numbness pooled up in his gut. He wanted to get up, but he could not feel himself. He was just so tired. His eyes fluttered and closed, his head rolled to the side and fell against Tai's chest.  
  
"No!" Tai screamed. He ran his hands over TK's chest and neck, desperately feeling for a heartbeat, trying to work past the way his own heart was pounding in his fingers. A few horrible seconds past when Tai thought it was hopeless. But then he found it. TK's heart was still beating, so faint and weak, like it was somewhere far away.  
  
Raindrops began to pelt Tai's face. And he looked up out of the little world he felt like he had lived in all his life. The little world made up only of himself and TK bleeding in his arms. But the battle was still raging around them, and Tai briefly saw Cody trying to fight his way through to them.  
  
Tai wrapped his arms underneath TK, ready to carry him back to Jyou if that was the only way. But suddenly a sound reached his ears, one beyond the splatter of rain and the low peals of thunder. It was a broad crashing sound, like the footsteps of a giant. His soul seemed to chill with cold, and he turned towards the mountains in the North. His heart nearly stopped.  
  
A great army was gathered there, so many that the base of the mountains seemed alive with movement. The crashing was the sound of swords being struck in time against shields and armor. A threatening chant filled the air, traveling at notes that no man could master. A song that sapped away all light and hope. Tai saw flashes of fur and claws, and bright, deadly yellow eyes.  
  
And Tai knew what it meant. He knew it as he laid eyes on something that had only been described to him in fearful whispers, and half- remembered nightmares.  
  
The dark armies of the North had come again. 


	6. The Song of Wolves

Disclaimer: I own only the plot, and the characters not seen in the TV show. Ryo was created by Takeru-san  
  
A/N: Well its finally finished, and I would like to say that I put a lot of work and thought into the series and this chapter, trying to make it as sad, happy, and beautiful as possible, and I hope ya'll enjoy it. And who knows, maybe you'll be in a bookstore many years in the future, and see a book on the shelf that seems oddly familiar. This chapter is dedicated to everyone who has eagerly awaited it for the past six months.  
  
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The medical riders were bringing back more wounded every minute, dragging them from the front line on crude sleds that rattled and bounced along the ground. Jyou desperately wanted to help them all, but there was not nearly enough time.  
  
Eight seconds to decide that this one had no chance. Three minutes to patch that one up just enough to keep him alive until one of the assistants could get to him. One second to push his glasses back up on his nose, three to blink away the sweat running into his eyes. One minute-thirty seconds to put a clamp on a severed artery. Fifteen seconds to look up and make sure none of his aides were showing signs of breaking under the stress. Five more to check on Sora and Kari, two of those spent hoarsely yelling at Kari to keep her helmet on. Jesus Christ, why weren't the guards keeping a better eye on them?  
  
If Jyou had not been so afraid, he would have been terrified. Fear was a gift to him. It made him act quicker, think clearer. It steadied his hand and focused his vision. As long as he could keep the reigns on it, fear was one of the few things working for him. But his hold on it was so fragile…  
  
"Jyou! Sora!" The words came in a helpless, horrified scream that shot through Jyou and pushed his heart up into his throat.  
  
He turned, and saw Kari doubled up on the ground, the helmet he had just yelled at her to keep on teetered on its side next to her face. Her eyes were suddenly glassy with a horrible mixture of anguish and terror. And her mouth was open wide, like she was trying to scream again but had no breath to do it. Then her face twisted up in pain and she started to vomit blood.  
  
All Jyou's thoughts and sense were stolen from him as he rushed to help her. Sora was there an instant before he was, her eyes sparkling with frightened tears. She tentatively grabbed Kari by the shoulders, afraid that it would hurt her to do anything else. Then she turned her eyes to Jyou and silently pleaded with him to do something.  
  
She need not have bothered. Kari was as precious to Jyou as a sister. He would do anything for her, if he just knew what it was he needed to do.  
  
"Hikari!" He shouted "Kari, tell me what's wrong!" There were no visible signs of any wounds. He automatically checked her pulse; her heart was beating furiously, and it almost seemed like there was something wrong with the rhythm, like a stutter-step somewhere in the beat. "Kari, tell me what you feel!"  
  
She opened and closed her mouth like she was trying to talk, but she could not get any words out. More blood trickled down the sides of her mouth, and Sora leaned over and did her best to wipe it away.  
  
Jyou could feel himself start to tremble as he slid a hand under Kari's chain mail and the thin cotton shirt beneath it. Her abdomen was firm without being rigid, but her skin was blazing hot despite the chill in the air. He did not want to take off her mail with the battle so close, but he might not have any other choice in a few moments.  
  
"Sora, get a damp rag and wipe her face and neck, you have to keep her cool."  
  
The young queen wordlessly ripped off one of her shirtsleeves, and doused it with water from the skin tied around her waist. "Come on, sweetheart." She whispered to Kari as she cradled the younger woman's head in her lap and began to mop it with the wet cloth. "Tell us what's wrong."  
  
Kari continued to open and close her mouth as she tried to form words. She clenched her eyes shut so tightly that it squeezed out tears. Then her body was suddenly racked with coughs, clearing the blood from her throat.  
  
"It's TK…" She whispered to them hoarsely, tears trailing down her dirty cheeks. "Please, it's TK…"  
  
  
  
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Tai's world had shrunk to two distant points; the Northern armies pouring over the mountains, their low, threatening chants seeming to rise from the depths of the Earth. And himself kneeling in the mud, fire ripping through his side and his head, as TK lay bleeding, dying in his arms. Everything in between was meaningless noise and darkness.  
  
But gradually the world began to grow and lighten. And Tai became aware of the vaunted Green Knight lying on the ground close by, reduced to a sobbing wreck. The battle was still raging on many parts of the field, but men on both sides had begun to notice the dark hordes arrayed in the mountains. Though few of them had yet grasped what it meant.  
  
Tai knew, and if his aide had not been dead, he would have had the young soldier sound the general retreat. But the soldier was dead, and TK was dying. Tai's vision and thoughts were suddenly hazy. But he managed to hold the young man in his arms and push himself slowly to his feet, ignoring the hot spurt of blood that streamed down his leg. He turned his body towards the Kamiyian lines, and started to walk toward them, trying with all his strength not to fall over.  
  
A pair of hands suddenly grabbed him by the shoulders, and instinctively he twisted away. But the hands hung on, and Tai thought he heard Cody's voice coming from far away.  
  
"Tai!" The hands shook him. "For God's sake, Tai, look at me!"  
  
Tai blinked and then Cody was right there in front of him. The young monk's face was bloodied and smudged, and a sharp gash ran down his left cheek. He did not seem to be hurt badly, but his eyes were full of pain.  
  
"Cody…" Tai said in a slur. "Cody… TK's hurt."  
  
"You're both hurt." Cody answered him, his voice cracking. He turned and yelled to someone behind Tai, and a few seconds later Lucas, and some of the surviving Takaishian warriors had formed a protective circle around them.  
  
Tai did not have the strength to disagree as Cody and another soldier took TK from his arms and set him in front of Lucas on the saddle. Then someone else picked him up by his shoulders, and before he could fully understand what was going on, he found himself sitting on a horse in front of Cody, the young monk's arms wrapped tightly around his waist. His body suddenly felt heavy and light at the same time, like sinking down into the sea, and sharp flashes of light streaked through his vision. He was so unbelievably tired, and he hurt so much. It would be okay, he told himself, if he just closed his eyes for a second.  
  
His head rolled back against Cody's chest.  
  
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Tai was in shock; Cody only had to look into his friend's eyes to see that. There was an ugly wound in his side, and his hair was so matted with blood and grime that he could not see the wound that had to be there. It was amazing that Tai had the strength to stand, let alone hold TK in his arms. Oh God, TK. Cody's heart cried out in sorrow just to look at him. There was a mangled hole the size of a fist in his gut, and blood was smeared all over his face. It bubbled from his mouth with every weak breath. Cody desperately tired not to listen to the hurtful little voice in his heart that told him his best friend was already dead.  
  
Out of the corner of his eye, Cody saw movement on the ground. He turned his head, and immediately all his sorrow pooled together with rage. The Green Knight was still there, and he resembled TK so closely it was sickening. He had probably killed TK, maybe killed Tai, and now he was crying. He had no right to cry, Cody thought. He had no right to look like brave, noble TK. And he had no goddamn right to live another second.  
  
Cody moved his horse next to the Knight and lifted his mace. He paused for a second, and then brought it down in a vengeful crash. But he did not feel the wet crush of the Knight's skull that he expected. Instead, quaking vibrations tore through his arm, as a sword suddenly appeared to block the blow. In the flash of a second his eyes took in the sword's owner. A female warrior with bold lavender hair streaming down her back, she was on foot, and dressed in Tachikawan armor.  
  
Instinctively, Cody shifted himself to face the new foe, turning his horse to better keep Tai out of harm's way. He quickly brought his mace up and began to rain down blows against his adversary, intent on battering her into submission. Overwhelming rage fueled his strength.  
  
The female was not alone. Other Tachikawans, all but a few on foot, rushed forward to protect the Green Knight as he wept uncaringly on the ground.  
  
The Takaishians bared their swords and moved to meet them. Their vision burned crimson, they wanted blood for their prince. Only Lucas held back, clutching TK's still form to him tightly, and looking hesitantly back towards the Kamiyian lines. He knew with dread certainty that his friend could not afford to wait. He clenched his teeth and kicked his horse into a furious gallop, racing for the white and red medical tent.  
  
No one noticed. Cody's eyes were beginning to sting with angry tears as he continued his maddened assault on the female warrior. A few more seconds, he thought, just a few more seconds and then he would have her. He could feel her breaking…  
  
"STOP! PLEASE, JUST STOP!"  
  
The voice was made of sorrow and tears, and it cut deeper than any sword. To their own amazement, the combatants stopped and lowered their weapons. It was as if the voice, so sad and desperate, had just sapped away all of their rage.  
  
"Can't any of you see what's going on?" Jun screamed again in the same crying voice. "Can't you see that we've all been had?"  
  
She had been crying so long that she no longer felt any reason to be ashamed of her tears. They shimmered like prisms as they trailed through the blood and grime on her cheeks.  
  
"Look up there!" She ordered, pointing to the Northern army moving like black ants down the mountain pass. "Do you see now? Do you understand? We've been trapped! We've been lead to this god-forsaken country so they can destroy us! And you're saving them the trouble by killing each other!"  
  
She glared hatefully at all of them. "Fools…" She whispered under her breath. She limped to Matt's side and griped him underneath his arms, ready to pull him to his feet. His weeping had stopped, replaced by a numbness that covered him like a thin sheen of ice.  
  
Cody's hands shook as he looked at her. Something inside him softly broke apart, like a hollow tree crumbling to dust. He turned and looked out over the battlefield, taking in the dead strewn about in the mud, already starting to rot. The proud standards lying tattered and faded underneath those that carried them. It was just mud and death, nothing else.  
  
"Sound the retreat." He ordered softly. "Form up around the camp."  
  
One of the soldiers raised a horn to his lips and blew the long, mournful note.  
  
Cody took as tight a hold around Tai as he dared, and then galloped for the medical tent. He felt cold inside, hopeless.  
  
Jun more than felt it, she knew it as fact. There was no hope. They were all going to die, and the only reason to keep fighting was because there was nothing else to do.  
  
"Sound a retreat." She told Miyako. "But make it towards the Kamiyian lines, we're all in this together now."  
  
"What about our own camp?" Miyako asked, trying not to sound as scared and confused as she really was. "Our people still back there?"  
  
Jun shook her head. "Signal for them to grab whatever they can carry and make a run for it. But we can't afford to wait for them. The second those beasts decide to stop chanting and charge, the whole field will be overrun."  
  
She bent down and tried to pull Matt to his feet, but he shrugged away from her and curled his arms around his knees. "I killed them." He whimpered in a hoarse voice. "I killed them, just leave me here."  
  
Jun did not know if he was somehow talking about Mimi, or the Kamiyian Takeru, or any of the numerous men he had killed that day. And she did not have the time or patience to care. "Get to your feet!" She screamed at him, hurt and grief flooding her voice. "You're not doing this Matt! I'm not going to let you curl up and die like this!"  
  
She strained her arms and legs and pulled him up to his knees, and then with another great effort to his feet. He just closed his eyes and let her to do as she wanted. All his worst thoughts and nightmares had come true. He had become them.  
  
Jun pulled his arm across her shoulders, suddenly feeling very angry with him, angry with everything. She blinked away the hot tears stinging her eyes and saw for the first time that rain was falling all around them. She had already been so drenched in sweat and blood that she had not noticed the raindrops pelting her.  
  
"Miyako, give me a hand with Matt." She said sharply. "If he's going to act like a child, we're going to treat him like one."  
  
Miyako nodded and took a hold of his other arm. She glanced around herself anxiously, feeling like she was forgetting something. Then a wave of dread washed over her and she realized what it was.  
  
"Jun." She gasped. "Where's Izzy?"  
  
Jun's eyes widened as a burst of fear shot up through her chest, momentarily flaring brighter than all the other fears swirling beneath it. She turned and swept her eyes over the battlefield, trying to find Izzy in the host of warriors trooping in confusion over their fallen comrades. It was pointless to search for him now, they would just have to make it to the Kamiyian lines and hope that he was in a position to do the same.  
  
"Sound the retreat again." Jun said, still staring across the battlefield. "Make it clear where we're retreating to."  
  
Miyako brought the curved horn to her lips and blew the call, and if most of the Tachikawan soldiers did not understand the orders, they at least obeyed them, moving quickly but cautiously towards the regrouping lines of their former enemies. The Tachikawan support personal camped in the shadow of Rolen's castle hurriedly grabbed all they could hold and charged after them.  
  
As if in response, the chants of the Northern hosts began to change in tone and pitch, going from a high, howling song to a chorused round of low barks and growls. Perhaps a quarter of the great army detached itself from the mass and began moving down the base mountains, crouching low to the earth and moving as easy as elks across the rocky terrain. They wore less armor than the others, and carried short stabbing spears and small, round shields instead of swords.  
  
In her head, Jun quickly estimated the speed of the beasts against the distance to the Kamiyian lines, and she decided that they had better run.  
  
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Kari kept trying to get up. She cried and moaned that she had to get to TK. Sora cried along with her as she held the younger woman as tightly and gently as she could. Jyou huddled over both of them, constantly checking Kari's pulse and temperature. Thankfully, the burning fever and bout of bloody vomiting had passed just as suddenly as they had come, but she had also become frighteningly weak, and was obviously in shock. Jyou had already sent attendants rushing off for blankets. Now all he could think to do was brush the wet, slick curls away from Kari's face, and wait in mounting dread for the tragedy he knew had to be galloping closer to him with every passing second. The hair on his neck stood on end, and he braced himself as best he could.  
  
When he finally heard the mad pounding of the horse coming up behind him, he bent and whispered quickly in Sora's ear. "Keep her back, don't let her see." Then he pushed his glasses back on his nose, and made his heart as steely and logical as he could bear, trying to tell himself that he had no right to personal feelings with men dying all around him. But then he saw Lucas gently easing TK out of the saddle and into the waiting arms of the attendants who in turn lowered him to the ground, and all his cold reason blew away like dust in the wind.  
  
One glance at the young prince's ghastly wound was enough to tell Jyou that it was some sort of meaningless miracle that he was still alive. If it had been anyone else, Jyou would have named him a 'no chance' without a second look. But this was not anyone else; this was TK, his brother in the misshapen family that had been forged in the dungeons and secret passages of a tyrant's castle.  
  
"Is he? I-I mean, can you do something?" Lucas stammered, his youth suddenly showing in his scrunched up face and wavering voice.  
  
Jyou gave an uncertain shake of his head as he probed the wound. The intestines were sliced open, maybe the liver… The iliac artery had to be severed for there to be this much blood… He probed a little deeper… Oh, Christ the renal artery too! And that meant at least one of the kidneys was almost certainly damaged!  
  
Jyou suppressed a moan of anguish and disbelief. There was no possible way TK could still be alive, but his heart continued to beat, pumping more rich red blood out of the hole in his abdomen.  
  
"Lucas." Jyou said as calmly as he could while he struggled to put a clamp on the iliac artery. "Go stand with Kari and Sora, make sure they're alright." He did not want the boy hovering over him. Lucas nodded deeply once and did as was ordered.  
  
The drizzling rain began to fall harder, and Jyou called over two of the guards to stand over TK with their shields held out in a makeshift canopy. Far away, he thought he heard the sounds of a horn bellowing retreat, but he didn't have the heart to ask the guards if they had heard it too.  
  
He worked fast, going mostly on touch alone. And it hurt to have to do this to TK, it always hurt to cut into somebody you cared about, to feel their hot blood pour over your hands. He could only just bear the pain as he finished clamping the arteries, and then sewed up the damaged organs in quick succession, and finally he sutured the arteries back together.  
  
It was a feeble effort for the extent of the wound, but it was the best of Jyou's abilities under the conditions. TK was still breathing as the linen bandages were wrapped around his torso, but Jyou had no real hope that he would last much longer.  
  
"Sora!" He hoarsely called over his shoulder as he finished tying off the bandages. "How's Kari?"  
  
"She's blacked out." Sora answered shakily. "Her breathing's weak." She waited a moment before asking the question she already knew the answer to. "What about TK?"  
  
Jyou did not respond for a long moment. "We should get them to their tent, keep them comfortable." He did not know what was happening to Kari, and he was too tired and heartsick to ask any questions that could not be answered.  
  
He climbed to his feet, feeling his knees groan and wheeze as he did so. He motioned for the guards to gently pick TK up in their arms, but before they could move any further, the mournful sound of a horn in retreat floated up from the battlefield, and there was no doubting that it was real this time.  
  
"Sora!" Jyou yelled again as he whipped around. "Take as many guards as you can find and go back to TK and Kari's tent, and for God's sake stay there!"  
  
The young queen winced reflexively, but she nodded and would have gone, except that she caught sight of Cody galloping across the field, Tai's limp form in his arms. Her heart seemed to stop, and before her mind could even register the horrible inner scream resounding through her body, she suddenly found that she had fallen to her knees.  
  
"Oh, dear God." She whispered. "Please no." Then she was on her feet, running to meet them before Cody even had a chance to reign in his horse. She held on to Tai's blood caked hand as Jyou carefully pulled him to the ground, and then she reached out and gently stroked his cheek, desperately wishing for him to open his beautiful brown eyes.  
  
"We're about to sustain a charge." Cody told them as he wheeled his horse around to go back to the front line. "Make sure you keep back, and if looks like they're going to break through, get on a horse and don't stop for anything."  
  
Jyou nodded him away as he pulled a wadded up bandage out of his pocket. "Here." He handed it out to Sora. "Hold it to his head." When he did not feel her take it, he jerked his head up to see her sitting in shock and brushing the hair away from Tai's eyes.  
  
"Sora!" He barked, making her jump. "Hold the goddamn bandage to his head!"  
  
"I'm sorry." She whispered as fresh tears swept down her cheeks. "I'm sorry." She took the bandage and pressed it against the wound.  
  
"Hold it tight." Jyou told her as he looked back down at the wound in Tai's side. He thought he heard some sort of ugly singing or chanting in the distance and he whished he had asked Cody what the hell was going on.  
  
"How-how is he?" Sora stammered, trying unsuccessfully to keep the tears out of her voice.  
  
Jyou looked at her over the top of his glasses. "He's lost a lot of blood." There didn't seem to be any damage to the organs though, thank Christ. If he managed not to fuck up, Tai would probably make it.  
  
Then Jyou heard the agonizing sound of horses screaming, followed by a hideous, feral roar. And as a dank emptiness seeped through his chest, he began to wonder if any of them would make it.  
  
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The beasts from the northern snows moved nimbly across the field, using the dead as stepping-stones in the mud. The ugly chorus of barks and growls moved down and back through their ranks. Their weapons twitched with pent up strength.  
  
Did they feel afraid? Cody wondered as he rolled his mace around in his hand. He searched deep inside his own soul, and was surprised to find no fear, just an intense sadness that encompassed his entire being. His mount was being unreasonably skittish, pawing the ground and whining in fear. With a sigh, Cody slipped out of the saddle and smacked the horse on the backside, sending it galloping towards the rear. There was no point in making the poor animal face this.  
  
The remainder of the joint Kamiyian and Ishidian force was strung out in a haggard line in front of their camp. The retreating Tachikawans were allowed to pass unmolested, and those who could fight joined the line without debate. There was no more doubt in anyone's mind of where the true danger lay. There were even some of Rolen's former soldiers scattered here and there through the line, standing beside those who had been their enemies not even an hour before.  
  
Cody looked to his right, and saw that the two female Tachikawans had come through the ranks to stand beside him.  
  
"Brother Cody of Hida." He said solemnly, nodding in salute.  
  
"Miyako of Inoue." The one with lavender hair answered with a wry smile. "Charmed."  
  
The other one, the one with the tears of strength, regarded him carefully; her intense brown eyes framed by the raindrops trailing down her face. "Jun of Motomiya." She said softly. "Princess Jun of Motomiya."  
  
Cody's heart panged him for a moment, an old scar that still felt like a fresh wound. "Your brother was a good man." He said.  
  
"He was the best." Jun agreed. And then they both turned to meet the enemy.  
  
When the creatures came close enough for Cody to make out their mangy, matted fur and hissing mouths filled with long, sharp teeth, they came to a stop, and with booming howls hurled their spears at the defenders.  
  
Cody ducked behind his shield, bracing his shoulder against the jarring impacts. He heard the screaming of men and horses, and clawed feet racing towards him. He came up already swinging his mace across his body, and the first beast to reach the line was greeted by a blow that crushed the right side of its face, sending blood and pieces of bone flying through the rain. Before the body had even hit the ground, another creature leaped over it, landing on the shield that Cody had instinctively raised above his head. The creature was amazingly light, and for a second, Cody was almost mesmerized by its pale, feline eyes. Then the beast spat and tried to rake his face with its claws. A burst of fury erupted from Cody's throat in a rumbling growl; he swung his mace again and caved in the creature's skull. Its body rolled off the shield and crumpled to the ground like a wet rag doll.  
  
Beside him, Jun fought with all the strength and ferocity of a cornered tiger. Her sword flashed like the lightning in the sky, and the beasts fell one by one at her feet. Davis was foremost in her mind; his face sparkled in her tears. She imagined him fighting beside her, his plumed helmet nodding proudly in the wind and rain. Sister and brother, standing together as they never had when he was alive. She had neither the desire nor strength to turn her head and dispel the illusion.  
  
The fight was short. Perhaps ten minutes passed before a long, resounding howl echoed off the mountains. Immediately, the beasts halted their attack and went racing back to rejoin the rest of the Northern host. The defenders, bleeding and exhausted, could not believe their senses as the creatures barked and jumped in wild excitement as they retreated, seemingly not troubled in the slightest that their charge had been repulsed.  
  
Cody stared after the creatures, as confused as everyone else. Then his eyes drifted to the nearest mountain peak, and he saw as small cluster of dark figures studying the scene below them. Everything was suddenly maddeningly clear in his mind. He ground his teeth together, and his hands shook with rage.  
  
The beasts they had just fought were the equivalent of apprentices, children. They had been sent across the field to prove themselves in combat and test the mettle of the defenders at the same time. Now they were being called back to take their places among the true northern warriors, and wait for the coming battle. The dark armies suddenly seemed to melt into the gray rock, leaving only the resumed chanting to remind the defenders that they were still there. They were in no hurry to begin the slaughter; battle had to be savored, at least until the next morning.  
  
The rain began to pour harder from the dark sky, and the surviving defenders limped back to the Kamiyian camp with their heads bowed low and their hearts empty.  
  
Cody still stared out across the battlefield, seeking an outlet for his fury. He found it when a low whining reached his ears. His eyes darted to the source; one of the beasts was dragging itself through the mud far behind its comrades. Its legs were apparently too damaged for it to do anything but crawl.  
  
Cody's eyes narrowed as ice-water seeped through his veins. He bent and picked up one of the short spears stuck in the ground, then went stalking after the slowly retreating beast. It seemed not to notice his approach until he planted his boot on the back of its neck, and with a rasping scream drove the spear through its spine. The creature's mouth gaped in an agonizing shriek, and it stretched an imploring hand out to the mountains. Cody wrenched and twisted the spear until he was sure the creature was firmly staked to the ground. Then he turned and left it to bleed and scream itself to death.  
  
They may not know fear, he thought, but they know pain.  
  
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////  
  
As the moon rose behind the clouds, the rain softened to a gentle weeping, staying only strong enough to soak through clothes to the bone, and keep the struggling fires from giving off any real warmth. The defenders huddled together around the depressed flames, their hopelessness reflected in the smoldering embers. The heartbreaking story of the brothers Ishida had become known shortly after the end of the beasts' charge, and it slowly made its way through the camp, told in awed and anguished whispers. It seemed proof that it was destiny that so many should meet their death so far from home, at the hands of monsters stolen from the darkest corner of a nightmare. Scouts had been sent out early in the night, and those who had returned had reported that the camp was surrounded by a number of the beasts. They were perched up in the trees, their eyes glowing green and yellow in the darkness.  
  
The bodies of the dead that could be retrieved lay in silent rows at the very rear of the camp. Countless Tachikawans, Ishidians, and Kamiyians had fallen, among them, Lord Rordan of Adonin, trusted friend and ally of the royal family. Somewhere, around one of the fires, his spoiled son, Persig, was crying the tears that would make him a good and just man, if only he lived that long.  
  
In a tent near the center of the camp, TK silently lay in the shadows between life and death. His eyes had not been open since he had fallen scared and confused into Tai's arms. Kari sat pale and weak beside him, holding his hand in her lap. She had regained consciousness an hour before, and had not spoken a word since. Every once in a while, he would cough, sending a thin line of blood dribbling down from the corner of his mouth, and she would wipe it away. Every once in a while, a new tear would roll down her cheek, sparkling like starlight, and she would let it be.  
  
Cody knelt at the foot of the bed, sorrow and anger washing together in his heart. He threaded a tinkling rosary through his fingers and whispered hushed Latin over his closest friends in all the world.  
  
Outside the tent, wrapped in a drenched cloak, Tai sat hunched over in a chair sunk into the mud. His bandaged wounds oozed blood, and he was burning up with fever. Guards had been posted outside his tent to make sure he did not hurt himself in his sickness, but he had begun to think he was going mad with the torturous illusions conjured up by his feverish mind. He had cut a hole in the back of the tent and dragged himself off to guard TK and Kari. Sora was searching for him frantically.  
  
A little ways off, around one of the fires, Jun and Miayko sat with Izzy squished between them. He had been farther down the line during the beasts' charge, and other then a sharp gash on his cheek from one of their claws, he was unhurt. It had been a scarce moment of joy and relief when they found him. Both young women had wrapped their arms around him in a fierce hug, almost lifting him off the ground.  
  
"I had a dream like this once." He had said, managing a weary smirk as he hugged them back. "Except we were in a huge bed, and there wasn't quite so much mud."  
  
They would have slapped him, except they were both too happy to have him back.  
  
Across the fire from them sat Ken, barely able to suppress a smile. The terrifying visions had stopped… no, not stopped… finished. There was no more uncertainty or doubt, only pure, unwavering knowledge. The past, present, and destined future lay spread out in his mind like an illuminated manuscript. He knew, for instance, that Princess Mimi was making her way towards the camp, guarded by unseen protectors. And she was accompanied by "King" Ryo. There was something odd about the boy; Ken's mental image of him seemed to flicker like a candle flame. There was chance in him, the only hope of changing what lay ahead. But Ken doubted anything would come of this, he could not see anything to tell him otherwise.  
  
He sighed and glanced at those around them. Poor, brave fools, he thought. They would be dead soon, they all would. The Prince and Princess of Kamiyia would breathe their last before the next dawn, their unborn children dying with them. Their one fear gone, the dark hordes would sweep down from the mountains, killing everyone. The child of the Green Knight and the Tachikawan Princess would join its cousins in never knowing life outside the womb. The King and Queen of Kamiya would never even know that she had conceived. The self-exiled Motomiyian Princess and the Lady of Inoue would never even have the chance to conceive. And three months in the future, an uncared for orphan would be taken from the earth by a hellish fever. Thus, would the future saviors of the world die before ever having a chance to live, and darkness would reign forever.  
  
Despite this, Ken felt no fear or sorrow, only tranquil quiet, because the visions had stopped, and he was at last left in peace.  
  
Far from the weak light of the fire, Matt sat in the same spot he had been in since before the charge. He sat on the ground like a small child, his knees tucked underneath his chin and his arms wrapped around his legs. He did not feel the cold or the rain, he felt nothing. It hurt him too much to feel. Mimi was dead and he had killed Takeru. Everything that mattered, everything that made him want to feel, to live, was gone. Only pain was left. So he sat, covered by a fragile, icy numbness, staring off into the darkness.  
  
But ice melts, and some wounds are too painful to ignore. A hurt, shallow light slowly returned to his eyes, and gradually they focused on the tent some yards in front of him, the place where he knew his brother lay. Even in the dark and rain, the green and gold of the tent seemed to shimmer in some hidden light. He saw the flap move, and Cody came out and stood for a few moments with his head in his hands, his shoulders heaving. Then the young monk went trudging with head bowed towards one of the fires.  
  
Matt climbed slowly to his feet, feeling the pain crash through him once more. It felt like his heart had burst open, letting all the sorrow seep out like saltwater to wear him away from the inside. The armor of the Green Knight still weighed heavily on his body, and his arms felt sickeningly weak as he unclasped the gauntlets and breastplate, and let them fall to the ground to rust in the rain. He only had the will to take small, ginger steps, and years seemed to pass in the time it took him to reach the green and gold tent. He did not even notice the dark, hunched over form beside the opening, until he reached out to move aside the flap, and he was suddenly seized by the shoulders and weakly shoved backwards.  
  
"You goddamn murderer!" Tai growled, planting himself in front of the tent. "Stay the hell away from them!"  
  
The young king's eyes were wild with fever and fury. He shivered and swayed on his feet, his soiled cloak hanging off his shoulders like a mockery of royal robes. He was too weak to keep the point of his sword from sticking in the ground.  
  
Matt blinked away the tears springing to life in the blue of his eyes. "I want to see my brother." He choked out.  
  
"He's not your brother!" Tai screamed hoarsely, his own tears starting to shine. "He's my brother! You hear me! He's my brother! And I'm not going to let you anywhere near him!"  
  
He tried to take an angry step forward, but his feet crumbled beneath him, and he fell across the hilt of his sword. The handle dug painfully into his stomach, forcing more blood out of the wound in his side. He could not find the strength to push himself up, but he refused to let himself fall.  
  
"Tai!" Sora's frantic cry cut through the rain, making Matt jump despite himself. The young queen was wrapped in a gray, hooded cloak, and almost seemed to be made of mist as she ran to her husband's side. "I should have known, I should have known." She scolded herself mournfully, as she pulled Tai's arm across her shoulders and let him lean against her.  
  
"I'm sorry, Sora." Tai whispered as he let his head rest against her neck, his voice suddenly soft as a child. He let the sword slip from his fingers as she took his hand in hers. His eyes fell half-closed as he blankly studied the raindrops running down her cloak.  
  
"We have to get you out of the rain." She said worriedly. Then she glanced up, her grip on Tai tightening as she finally noticed the other person standing there.  
  
Matt barely dared to breathe as her cherry colored eyes bore into him. Her cheeks were stained with tear tracks, and her auburn hair had been molded by the rain into countless tiny ringlets that fell around her face and down her shoulders.  
  
Her gaze was narrow and hard, she wanted to hate him. He had hurt the three people she loved more than anything. She wanted to hate him because it felt like there was a dagger buried in her heart, and she had no way to pull it out. But her eyes started to brim over with fresh tears, and the only emotion she could muster against him was pity. So she glared at him for a final moment, trying to impart to him all the pain in her bleeding heart. Then she lowered her eyes, and carefully led her lover away.  
  
Matt stared after them, tasting salt as tears trailed over the corner of his mouth. When their forms receded into darkness, he bent and picked up Tai's sword from its place in the limp grass. He saw his face reflected in the cold steel splattered with mud, and he imagined that his eyes had become the harsh swirling blue of a storm at sea, and his mouth had curled up in a starving wolf's grin. A racking sob tore from his mouth, and he clenched his eyes shut against the image. When, after long moments, he could bear to open them, he stood and reached out a shaking hand to move the tent flap aside.  
  
Kari did not notice his entrance, just as she had not noticed when Cody left. She saw nothing but the shallow rise and fall of TK's chest as he struggled to breathe, his face flushed and drawn up in suffering. She held his hand and gently traced the calloused lines; she brought it up to her face and softly brushed it against her cheek, letting her tears run between his fingers. Her TK, her light, was dying, and it was killing her, draining away all her hope and strength. She was already so weak; soon she would die, her darling, precious baby with her. And no prophecy, no matter how grand or terrible, could change that now.  
  
Despair swelled within her like a bottomless ocean. They had made it through so many storms… so many battles, and tears, and heartaches. But they would not make it through this one. And she wondered how she could have been so naive to ever believe she would be allowed to see his golden hair fade to gray, that the laughter of their children would ever ring through her heart, that their story would end with happily ever after…  
  
A gust of chill air suddenly teased her face, pricking the hair on the back of her neck. She turned to where Matt stood, his eyes creased and wet as they trailed over the ugly scars on TK's shoulders and chest, lingering on the black S burnt into his arm.  
  
A burst of shame and anger rippled through Kari, and she reached over and pulled the blanket covering her husband up to his chin. TK was so self- conscious of his scars, as if it were his fault people had tortured and abused him, just because they could never break him… Her vision blurred as she remembered a too perfect young man tied by ropes soaked in his own blood, his deep blue eyes glowing like fading stars as he mouthed 'I love you'.  
  
"What do you want?" She asked Matt in a hoarse whisper. He looked so much like TK it almost broke what was left of her heart. His face was just a little harder, his eyes a trace lighter.  
  
Matt's face twisted up in anguish. He could not take his eyes off the dirty, angelic face framed by messy blonde hair. "He's my brother…" He whispered in reverence and grief. "I used to dream about… I used to… I…" He couldn't get the words to come, they sounded so worthless and small.  
  
"I'm sorry… He… He's my brother…"  
  
Kari's mouth began to tremble, tears forcing their way out of her clenched brown eyes. She dropped her head into her hands and sobs wrenched through her frame. Why, she cried to herself. Why… Why… Why… a million times why…  
  
"He fought it back." She whispered between the tears. "He was so afraid of the darkness, but he fought it back." She raised her head, sucking in a rasping breath as she stared imploringly at Matt.  
  
"Why couldn't you?"  
  
He slowly shook his head; he had no answer that he would dare to make her hear, no answer that he could live with. He closed his eyes and dropped the sword at her feet. Then he fell to his knees before her, and leaned forward to bare his neck.  
  
A cold hand griped Kari's heart as she realized what he was doing, what he was asking. But even as her eyes burned from the constant flow of tears, she found herself staring down at the tongue of black flame on the back of his neck; the mark that had stolen everything from her. A spark of anger and hate began to grow inside her wounded heart, and she wondered if she possibly had enough strength left to lift the heavy sword, to wield it with enough power to cut through flesh and bone… But TK had that same mark on his neck. She had rubbed and kissed it more times than she could ever remember; it was a part of him. Her heart moaned, and the spark of hate and anger was drowned in the flood of grief and despair that consumed her. She turned away from Matt and the sword and reached out a hand to caress TK's cheek.  
  
"Please." She whispered. "Just go, leave us alone."  
  
Matt gasped and looked up at her. The candlelight flickered across her face and neck, looking like a porcelain angel who had lost her wings. Shame and self-loathing pooled in his gut and shivered down his spine. With a choking sob, he grabbed the sword and burst out of the tent, running blindly towards the trees. He was a tangle of half-formed thoughts and unfinished feelings. Why would she leave him alive? Had she no mercy? Didn't she see that he needed to die?  
  
His feet slipped from beneath him and he tumbled through the mud. His arms quaked as he pushed himself to his knees, and he threw his head back and cried out to the sky; a heart-wrenching howl of loneliness and grief that echoed off the cloud-shrouded moon. He brought the sword to his neck, pressing it tight enough to draw blood. It will all be over in just a moment, he thought.  
  
"MATT!" He imagined he heard Mimi's horrified voice beyond his closed eyelids. "Stop! What are you doing?"  
  
It's okay Meems, he thought to the illusion. I'll be with you in just a moment. I love you.  
  
But then the illusion was on him, pulling the sword away from his throat, and prying at his fingers until he dropped it. Then it was holding him, gently shaking him as it used Mimi's voice to whisper desperately in his ear. "Matt… Matt…"  
  
He was afraid that if he opened his eyes the illusion would disappear, so he kept them closed as he hugged it tightly, marveling in the way its imaginary form felt so like the real Mimi. And by the time her weeping breaths and soft kisses had convinced him she was real, he no longer cared about what miracle could have delivered her, just that she was there in his arms.  
  
"I thought you were dead." He whispered, running his fingers through her wet, tangled hair.  
  
"I feel like I was." She answered with a crying laugh. The rain had thankfully washed away most of the filth from the sewer. But her body trembled from near exhaustion, and her face bore the bruises from the frantic escape down the tunnel. Her dress was soiled and torn, plastered to her body like a wilted flower.  
  
"But, Matt…" She cupped her hands over his eyes and stared into them with a hurt, confused expression. "Why… What were you doing?"  
  
His shoulders slumped against her, and he could not look in her eyes as he answered. "I killed him, Meems. Takeru… he… he was my brother and I killed him… He's dying."  
  
"Oh, Matt…" Her heart broke for him. She pulled him tight against her, madly kissing his cheek and neck. She felt his shoulders trembling as he desperately tried to fight the tears. "I'm sorry… I'm so sorry." She held him as he cried.  
  
A few feet away, Ryo stood momentarily forgotten. He shyly turned his head away from the private scene, and concentrated only on the shiver of rain running down his shoulders and arms to drip off his fingers. He felt guilty, and small, like a giant, black thing had rolled over the world, leaving cold and pain in its wake. Maybe, he could have stopped it, if only he had not been so conscious of his smallness. He knew that no one would blame him, just a poor little boy imprisoned and used by a greedy tyrant, but he blamed himself, and that was the worst of all.  
  
"You're so cold." Matt said suddenly, pulling slightly away from Mimi to brush a wet lock of hair away from her cheek. He gently and easily picked her up in his arms, and then pushed himself to his feet. "We'll go sit by one of the fires."  
  
She silently nodded her assent, and then reached out to wipe the warm tears from his eyes.  
  
He began to carry her towards the nearest fire. And Ryo was content to follow behind them unnoticed, had Mimi's full presence of mind not returned to her.  
  
"Wait! Ryo!" She half-yelled, half-whispered over Matt's shoulder, suddenly afraid that she had somehow managed to lose the boy in the darkness.  
  
"I'm right here, Princess." He answered immediately, his voice coming from the opposite of the direction Mimi had been looking.  
  
"Oh, thank God." Mimi sighed in relief. Then she habitually brushed a hand over her hair, and gave a thin but genuine smile. "Matt, this is Ryo. Ryo, Matt." She blushed slightly, feeling a little silly about being perched in Matt's arms, but there was no place she had ever felt as safe.  
  
The young man and the boy exchanged solemn nods. And Ryo was suddenly filled with the hurtful feeling that for whoever he was, for whatever strength and courage he had, he was nothing but a weak, inferior version of the great warrior standing before him. His mind traveled back to a time not so far gone when old men had called him king. He had known somehow, that the rightful holder of that title was out there somewhere. And as he beheld the ocean of sadness in Matt's eyes, the strength radiating from his frame, and the tenderness with which he held his lover close, Ryo had trouble imagining another person who could possibly be more meant to be a king.  
  
For his part, Matt saw only a cold, tired boy to go along with all the other cold, tired people all around him. "I'll take you over to the fire." He said. "I'm not sure… I'm not sure how much good it'll do, but it's better than nothing."  
  
Mimi laced her arms around Matt's neck as he carried her, and they both listened to make sure that Ryo's exhausted footsteps stayed closely behind.  
  
Matt had just begun to consciously think that he should take them to the fire with Jun, Miyako, and Izzy, when a chorus of excited shouts told him that he already had.  
  
"Oh My God." Jun was the first to stand up and rush over to them, catching Mimi in a great hug just as she slid out of Matt's arms. "I was so scared… Oh Jesus, Mimi… I'm so sorry I made you go up to that goddamn castle."  
  
Miyako was right on her heels. She tried to speak, but could not get her mouth to work. So for the first time that entire day, the female warrior began to cry, bawling as she threw her arms around her adopted sister.  
  
Izzy was perhaps the most tired and hurt out of all of them, but he hobbled from the fire and joined with Matt in hugging the three young women between them. Quiet tears slipped from beneath his closed eyelids. "Thank God Thank God Thank God." He prayed under his breath.  
  
None of them cared how she had escaped from Rolen's castle. They just cared about the fact that she was there, delivered back to them. And what did it matter if there were an army of beasts waiting in the darkness? They were together again, and that was enough for now. That was enough to hold on to.  
  
Ken sat behind the shallow glow of the fire and watched them, his violet eyes curious and contemplative. It's like a page out of some epic tragedy, he thought to himself, a cynical grin playing on his lips. One family celebrates being reunited, while another is lying broken apart, and all of it happening in the face of soon and certain death. He wondered if the Abbot would have seen the irony in it, if he hadn't become so caught up in their hopeless struggle.  
  
Speaking of the Abbot, and all his nasty little secrets…  
  
Ken turned to where the old man stood beside the Lord Jyou, just at the point where the weak firelight could play about their legs, but lacked the strength to climb up their bodies.  
  
It was the first time Jyou had not been among the sick and wounded since the beasts' charge, trying to keep them all alive through the night just so they could die in the morning. And he was standing on the last fumes of his strength. His breath came in haggard pants, and a feverish chill crept over his shoulders and neck. There was only a sharp ache in his chest where his heart should have been. He was spent in body, mind, and spirit, exhausted to the point that deep thought seemed almost impossible.  
  
The Abbot kept a steadying hand on his shoulder as Jyou watched the rejoicing Tachikawans, slowly adjusting his mind to the knowledge that Princess Mimi was alive, and coaxing his weary thoughts to produce ideas as to what that could mean.  
  
"Princess Mimi." He said finally, stepping into the light of the fire as the Tachikawans turned towards him. "I am glad to see you alive."  
  
"Thank you." Mimi answered softly. "I have to say I am very glad as well." She carefully studied his face, thinking back to the mountain of files she had read. "I take it you are Lord Jyou of Kido."  
  
"That's right." Jyou answered. "I'm… I'm… speaking… for the Kamiyian royal family."  
  
The sorrowful tone of the words washed over everyone like a freezing wind. Even Mimi, who had no real idea of what had happened, suddenly found her mind forming pictures of grief and loss. She reached behind her and felt for Matt's hand.  
  
Jyou nodded again and wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. "Princess… As you can probably see, we're all in pretty dire straights. Our only way out may be the way you took to get in. How… How did you manage to…" The words dried up on his tongue.  
  
A song filled the air, not the harsh chanting of the beasts, but a soft hymn floating on the wind and rain like an oak leaf on a river, so faint they almost missed it. Jyou, Matt, Mimi, and the rest of the little group all strained their ears to hear over the patter of rain and the agitated crackling of the fire.  
  
And the song came closer. The words were foreign, a language none of them had ever heard, a brutal, guttural language formed of steel and blood, and then left to wither and rot through the ages like grapes on the vine. But the music flowed through the words, wrapping them in beautiful sorrow. Together, they made a song of empires lost and honor gained, of heartache and healing, of light and dark, death and life; a song of wolves baying to the moon.  
  
The last of the old Ishidian lords sang the sweet, sad song as they marched slowly through the camp, a few sputtering torches lighting their way. Most had been on opposite sides of the field that day, many had been at each others' throats for years, some for generations. But they stood together now, united under one standard.  
  
Lord Artur led the procession, his voice rising proud and strong above the others, the last reminder of the great warrior he had once been. Woeful tears ran down his cragged cheeks and into his beard. His hands, crippled by age and disease, shook and cramped as they clutched the banner of the House of Ishida to his chest.  
  
It was tattered and ripped, so soft with age that it threatened to fall apart in the rain. But the emblem was still bold as midnight; a black wolf prowling a field of forest green. At the height of the Ishidian darkness, the wolf's eyes had been a blood red. But now, they had been dyed a deep blue the color of a spring river, the color of hope.  
  
"I-I think it's the ancient Ishidian dialect." The Abbot said, his attention still rapt by the solemn procession. "I've only seen it in books, never heard it spoken. But I would almost swear that they're singing to mourn their king."  
  
Matt opened his mouth to say something, but no words would come out. So the group watched in silence as the procession found its way to the front of the green and gold tent, and on the chair that Tai had sunk into the mud, Artur laid the banner of the royal House of Ishida. Then the music ended as the singers fell to their knees and bowed their heads to their king; lords kneeling before an empty throne.  
  
Silence passed over the world, and even the rain seemed to hush.  
  
"But." Izzy said after a few moments, dragging his eyes away from the lords. "Matt's the older brother. Don't they know that? Shouldn't he be the king?" He regretted the words immediately, he knew in his heart they did not matter.  
  
"It was the Ishidian way." The Abbot answered softly. "For brothers to fight for the throne… Takeru had him at his mercy before…" The words died away, they did not have to be spoken. "It was the Ishidian way." He finished in a whisper.  
  
A choking sensation filled the back of Matt's throat. His eyes blurred and stung, and his legs felt like they would turn to dust. He would have fallen over if Mimi had not turned around to hug him tight. He buried his face in the hollow of her shoulder.  
  
"I'm sorry." Ryo said suddenly. "This is all my fault. I let Rolen use me when I knew it was a lie. I let him cause all this, and I didn't do anything because I was too afraid of him." His face scrunched up, and tears leaked from the corners of his eyes.  
  
Jun turned and cast him a thoughtful look. "It wasn't anybody's fault." She said after a few moments. "Or if it was, then it was everyone's fault. We all let ourselves be duped and deceived, led around like a bunch of dogs on a leash… We were all afraid, so much that we never stopped and tried to figure out what was causing all the fear." She turned away and stared out into the darkness. And she was thankful when she felt Izzy take her hand in his and give it a gentle squeeze.  
  
Silence once again passed over the group, as everyone's thoughts returned to the months past, and to that which lay ahead in the near future.  
  
"Princess…" Jyou said at last. "How did you escape?"  
  
"Through a lavatory, actually." She answered, not releasing her hold on Matt. A thin smile crossed her face as she heard Izzy and Miyako chuckle lightly.  
  
"We slid down the tunnel from Ryo's room, and dropped into the sewer beneath the castle. Rolen and some of his men came after us… but their armor dragged them down and drowned them, and we somehow managed to take care of Rolen ourselves."  
  
"So Rolen's dead?" Jun asked.  
  
Mimi nodded grimly. "And after that, we just followed the tunnel until we came to a place where we could climb out. And we've spent the last few hours making our way back here… too late to do anything." She said the last part so softly that only she and Matt heard it.  
  
"But-but how did you get through the forest?" Jyou shook his head in frustration. "Those monsters are all over the place! We haven't been able to get a single person through!"  
  
"Well, I don't understand what you're talking about!" Mimi snapped back. "We didn't see anything! I don't even know what one of those things would look like!"  
  
Jyou clenched his hands into shaking fists. He almost at the breaking point, the weight of everything was pressing him into the ground. "They are out there! How did you make it through?"  
  
Mimi's mouth opened for an angry reply, but she never got the chance to say it.  
  
"They were being guarded, of course." Ken stated in an uncaring voice.  
  
They all turned to stare at him, their mouths gaping as they became almost mesmerized by the liquid fire reflected in his violet eyes. The Abbot felt a chill seep into his stomach as his pupil once again reminded him of a detached actor waiting for the cue to say his lines.  
  
"Wha-What did you say?" Jyou asked in disbelief. "Guarded by who?"  
  
Ken gave them all a smug grin. "Men were not the only creatures who bowed to the House of Ishida, not the only ones who killed for them in the darkness, and then stepped with them into the light. Men are not the only ones who have come to mourn their king, the Lord of Wolves."  
  
An echoing howl sounded somewhere far away, and was quickly answered by a nearer one. Matt, looking over Mimi's shoulder, thought he saw two canine forms go loping through the darkness.  
  
"Will they fight?" Jun asked in a whisper, as she and all the rest began to slowly turn and gaze out into the night.  
  
Ken let a sneer come to his lips. "Oh, they will fight alright. There are some out there who remember finding a little boy huddled between the bodies of his slain parents. They nursed him, and kept him warm, and then watched him start on a hopeless quest to find his missing brother… Yes, Princess of Motomiya, they will fight long and hard, and they will die, just like all the rest."  
  
"YOU SONOFABITCH" Jyou screamed. He hurled himself at Ken and shoved him to the ground. He wrapped his left hand around the younger man's throat, and with his right, began to beat him without mercy.  
  
"You're the one who caused this! You're the one who told TK all those lies and got everyone to believe them! You hurt them! You hurt my family!"  
  
Tears streamed down his face even as he snarled like an animal. He let go of his grip on Ken's throat, and used both hands to pound on his face. Jun, Izzy, and the Abbot all leapt forward to pull him off, but Jyou was almost insane with grief and rage. He pushed them away and kept punching. He wanted to beat Ken to death; he wanted to crush him into bloody little pieces for what had happened.  
  
Izzy and the Abbot finally managed to get a hold of Jyou's arms, and Miyako sprang forward to help Jun get a hold around his neck and pull him away.  
  
"You think you're so smart, you goddamn bastard? You think you can see the future?" Jyou kept screaming and kicking out at Ken. "The tell me what's happening to TK and Kari! Tell me what's wrong with them or I'll fucking kill you!" He lashed out one final time, kicking the younger man in the leg as they dragged him back. Then he collapsed into their arms, unable to keep himself from sobbing like a child.  
  
Through it all, Ken had not lifted a single finger in his own defense. He just lay there and absorbed the beating. When he heard Jyou crying, he pushed himself up on his elbows, and gingerly felt his face. "You want to know what's wrong with them, what's killing them?" He asked, his voice raspy with the blood collecting in his mouth.  
  
Jyou did not respond. He kept his eyes closed and tried to force the tears to stop. The others stared at Ken darkly, horrified by him.  
  
Ken wiped his nose and then stared at the blood dripping into his hand. "The boy is already dead. He died two years ago; tortured to death by King Claudius of Kamiya. The girl held him in her arms as he breathed his last, and she cried, and she prayed. And God, or the light, or whatever you want to call it, it heard her. It let her cheat; it let her give half her life, half her heart, to him. And so he opened his eyes, and for a while it seemed like their life would be a fairytale. But then the sins of a long- dead family came back to haunt them both. And the boy was wounded in a war of mistrust and deceit, wounded so gravely that he should have died right then and there… But how can a person die if he shares a life, if his heart beats in perfect rhythm with another? He can't, at least not until the person on the other end of the life dies too. So the girl keeps her lover alive, even as the effort drains away her strength. He drags her down into the depths even as she struggles to keep him afloat. Soon her strength will run out, and then they will both die… And so shall we all, when the Northern hosts spill down the mountain with the dawn. When the wings of the angels are broken, when the lion cries, and the rose wilts."  
  
He wiped his face with the back of his arm as he finished. Then he crawled back to his place by the fire, and returned to staring silently into the withering flames.  
  
The rain began to pick up, falling almost as hard as it had during the day. No one had the will to speak. Izzy and the Abbot helped a weeping Jyou to sit down on the other side of the fire. The Abbott then sat down next to Ken. He looked at the bloodied face of his pupil, and wondered what he could have done to make things different. Jun wrapped her arms around Izzy and pulled him down between herself and Miyako. Matt and Mimi sat beside her. Mimi entwined her hands with Matt's, and laid her head in his lap.  
  
Only Ryo stayed standing, shivering from cold. His eyes were clenched shut. Something about Ken's final words had stirred something in his memory. "When the wings of the angels are broken, when the lion cries, and the rose wilts." He mouthed the words to himself over and over. He had heard those words somewhere before; they were part of something important. He knew they were!  
  
The spark of recognition was so tiny that he was afraid he would lose it if he dared to move. Oh, God please… Someone had said those words to him! It felt like it had been so long ago, so hazy. He remembered crying, crying because he couldn't remember something he was supposed to. The same thing he couldn't remember now!  
  
He felt like screaming… Oh, God please… Please help me…  
  
He waited… And his mind went gray with swirling fog. Stray flashes of silver erupted like lightening behind storm clouds. "When the wings the of the angles are broken." He whispered to himself. "When the lion cries, and the rose wilts, only then will there be a hope of victory."  
  
His voice tapered off as his mind and heart dove through the fog. He held his breath… and slowly, like dripping molasses, the answer bubbled up from the haze.  
  
1 You must speak to the seer with violet eyes… and remind him of the circle with twelve points…  
  
Immediately, Ryo's eyes snapped open. Fear and excitement roared inside him like an inferno. "You're the seer!" He shouted at Ken, startling everyone else. "The seer with violet eyes!"  
  
He threw himself down beside Ken and grabbed him by the shoulders. "The circle with twelve points! I have to remind you of the circle with twelve points!"  
  
"What are you talking about?" Ken scoffed, trying to shove the boy away.  
  
A pang of dread shot through the Ryo's chest. Oh Jesus, what if this wasn't the answer? What if it was all some desperate figment of his imagination?  
  
"The circle with twelve points!" He screamed in Ken's face. "You have to know what that is! You're the only one that could possibly know!"  
  
On the other side of the fire, Matt rose to his feet. Something in the boy's words was making his stomach jump. His eyes became filled with a tiny pinprick of delicate hope.  
  
"Get off me, you stupid brat!" Ken growled as he finally managed to push Ryo away. "I don't know what the hell you're talking—" And then it happened.  
  
The solid, perfect manuscript of the future laid out in Ken's mind began to shimmer. A twist of light, like a sprouting plant, began to grow out of his mental image of Ryo. It curled over the entire picture, flashed once like a beating heart, and then exploded in a galaxy's birth of light. Millions of questions and possibilities went streaking behind his eyes faster than thought. The dark certainty he had clung to all night became only another speck of far off starlight. And above it all, set on a softly spinning axis, was a golden crown with twelve spires.  
  
"Oh, God, not again…" Ken mumbled. He clenched his eyes shut and started to crawl backwards away from the fire. "Don't make me see it all again…"  
  
"Ken, what's wrong?" The Abbot asked, reaching out to him with a tentative hand.  
  
"He knows what the circle is!" Ryo screamed excitedly. "He knows how to stop all this!"  
  
"No!" Ken screeched. "I don't see anything! I won't let it change! I can't! I can't!"  
  
In the blink of an eye Matt was standing in front of Ken. He picked the younger man up by the shoulders and hoisted him into the air. "You know how to stop this?" He demanded. "You know how to save my brother?"  
  
"I won't do it!" Ken franticly shook his head back and forth. "Nothing can make me do it!"  
  
"We'll see about that!" Jyou snarled. He jumped to his feet and backhanded Ken across the face. "You're not letting everyone I care about die!"  
  
"I would rather die." Ken moaned defiantly. "Than have to live through these visions again!"  
  
"What the hell are you all talking about?" Mimi yelled suddenly. "Matt, put him down!"  
  
Matt shook his head. "No, he knows how to stop all this… I feel it." His grip on Ken tightened painfully.  
  
"He's the seer!" Ryo agreed. "He knows how to save everyone!"  
  
"Put. Him. Down!" Mimi commanded, stepping beside Matt and trying to pry his hands from Ken's shoulders.  
  
"Yes, please stop." The Abbot intoned. He pushed Jyou away before taking a strong grip on Matt's other arm and pulling it back. "The visions aren't Ken's fault, he has no control over them."  
  
"It'll be his fault if everyone dies because he won't help us!" Jyou ground his teeth together.  
  
"You can all rot in Hell for what I'd care!" Ken spat.  
  
Matt's eyes flashed with rage, and Mimi had to wrap herself around his body to keep him from moving. The Abbot likewise took a strong hold on a ferociously glaring Jyou.  
  
Izzy tried to rise from his place, but Jun refused to him get up. "I don't know what the hell is going on." She whispered tightly in his ear. "But you won't help getting in the middle of it."  
  
Ken backed away from the fire. "None of you can even imagine what I have to live with!" He screamed, pulling at his hair in frustration. "Every second of every day! Millions of pictures racing through my brain! Showing me every horror of every time and every place! I'm going insane because I can't look at anything without seeing everything! I can't sleep without the pictures plaguing my dreams! And when something finally stopped the pictures! When something was finally certain, when death was certain, with no possibility of change! I finally had peace for the first time in a year!"  
  
He dropped his head into his hands and stumbled backwards a few more paces. "Don't you understand?" He cried. "If I have to die to be at peace, then so be it! And if you all, or even the whole world have to die with me, then so be that too! Because nothing is worth the suffering I live with! Nothing is worth living with it for another hour!"  
  
He stumbled again, and then fell to his knees and began to sob.  
  
Jyou shook his head, tears running down his cheeks. "No." He said. "There are people here who are worth everything… They're worth the suffering of you, and a thousand other people like you! And so help me God, if they die, I'll make your death so painful you'll think those visions of yours are pictures of heaven."  
  
Matt tensed his arms and eyes in agreement.  
  
"I don't care!" Ken wailed. "I don't care!"  
  
"You will…" Matt whispered as he put his hands on Mimi to move her out of the way.  
  
"Wait!" Miyako called out. "Just wait a goddamn minute!" To her own surprise, everyone did wait, turning to stare at her.  
  
She was cold, and scared, and tense, and tired as hell of watching her loved ones coming apart at the seams. She wiped her eyes and then stood up and looked at them all, wanting to tell them so much but unable to find the words. She shook her head sadly and then looked at the poor young man keeling in the mud as he cried, and her heart overflowed with tenderness and pity. She walked over to him slowly, ignoring the curious eyes that followed her. She bent down to him, and tears and words seemed to spring up from her heart.  
  
"I know it's impossible for us to understand, or even imagine how much pain you feel every day. But we've all suffered, we've all been hurt and lost people we love. I had to watch my parents and one of my brothers rot to death from the plague, and not a month after they were buried, I saw my other brother fall off a horse and break his neck… Our lives are full of suffering, people wake up every morning knowing that they will feel pain and heartache. But every now and then, we get a day, or an hour, or a minute that is so full of love and joy that it makes all the suffering worth it. And so we struggle on through life just to have more of those beautiful, wonderful moments."  
  
She reached out and put a hand on his shoulder as tears coursed down her face. "You say that you can see everything, then you must be able to see those happy moments. And somewhere in there, you have to be able to see some of those moments for yourself. Moments that are worth all the suffering in the world just to be able to hope that they might come true."  
  
She felt everyone's eyes on her back as she stood up and took her hand from his shoulder. She turned around, and suddenly felt a wave of embarrassment wash over her. But before she could even lower her head, Mimi rushed over and threw her arms around her. Miyako couldn't think of any way to respond except to hug her back.  
  
Though still keeling in the mud with his head bowed, Ken had stopped crying. Something in Miyako's gentle voice had almost seemed to soothe the pain and fear inside him. He wondered if she could possibly know some of the things he knew, if she could feel some of the things that raced through his mind and heart.  
  
He opened his eyes, and slowly raised his head. "The twelve gifts." He said in a softly cracking voice.  
  
"What?" "Miyako breathlessly asked, as everyone's eyes returned to Ken  
  
"The twelve gifts, the twelve virtues of mankind given by heaven to light the darkest hours of the world."  
  
"What will they do?" Mimi asked excitedly. "How do we get them, or-or find them?"  
  
"I don't know what they will do." Ken shook his head. "In all of history they have only been called together twice, the last coming after the execution by Rome of a carpenter from Galilee… And those two instances appear in my visions only as flashes of blinding white light, like a portrait dipped in bleach."  
  
"As for where they are…" His violet eyes trailed over them all. "They are right here." He clenched his eyes shut and covered his face with his hands. "All of you need to go to the tent where they lay, and bring the Kamiyian king and queen, and the Hidian monk with you."  
  
For a speechless moment no one moved, all too stunned and confused to really believe there could be any hope.  
  
"For your own sake's, hurry!" Ken shouted. "Dawn is coming and by then it will be too late!"  
  
Immediately Jyou raced away, stumbling as fast as he could to Tai and Sora's tent. He hurriedly moved the flap away, and tried to ignore the sinking of his heart as he stepped inside.  
  
Tai was lying unconscious on the bed, flushed and drenched in sweat that glistened sickeningly in the sparse candlelight. His chest rose and fell in quick gasps, and his head rolled fitfully over the pillow. Sora was keeling beside him, wiping his face and neck with a damp cloth. Her face was red and blotchy from endless crying, and her eyes were listless and glassy as she turned at Jyou's entrance.  
  
"Oh, Jyou thank God." She softly exclaimed. "I've been wanting to go find you but I was afraid to leave Tai… He's so sick, Jyou… I-I don't know what to do." She was heartsick and exhausted, barely able to keep herself awake and lucid.  
  
Jyou quickly crossed over to the bed, instinctively bending over to feel Tai's pulse and temperature. His forehead was ablaze with fever, and his heart was straining itself to keep up a frenzied pace. Jyou grimaced and checked the wound in his side. It was still oozing blood, and the tissue around it was swollen and red with infection.  
  
"Sora, listen." Jyou said grimly, as he pulled away the blanket around Tai's legs. "We have to take Tai over to TK and Kari's tent."  
  
"Are you crazy?" Sora shook her head at him. "He's sick Jyou! We can't move him while he's like this!"  
  
"He's dying." Jyou told her flatly. "We all are, unless we can get him to TK and Kari's tent."  
  
"Wha-What are you talking about?" Sora's voice quivered and fresh tears sparkled in her eyes. "What good will it do?" She wrapped her fingers around one of Tai's hands.  
  
"I don't know." Jyou admitted as he grabbed Tai's cloak off the ground. "Everything I know and believe in tells me it won't do anything. But something inside me won't let me stop trying to fight, and this is our only hope… Please, Sora." He begged. "Just help me."  
  
She turned away from him as she fought against her tears, but then she breathed deeply, and gently took her husband by the shoulders. "Wake up, Tai…" She whispered. "Come on, sweetheart, wake up…"  
  
Tai groaned in response. His eyes snapped open briefly, then fluttered like butterfly wings before settling half-closed. "Kari…" He mumbled, weakly shaking his head. "TK… Just like Mom and Dad… Just like Davis… Marble stones in the courtyard…"  
  
"No, Tai!" Jyou said as he pulled his friend up and wrapped the cloak around his shoulders. "We're not going to let that happen."  
  
They pulled Tai's arms across their shoulders and eased him out of the bed. He was too weak to stand on his own, so they held him up between them as they slowly, and painfully made their way out of the tent. Sora was so tired that she stumbled frequently in the sticking mud, and Jyou grunted with exertion as he bent his waist to make sure that most of Tai's weight fell on him. They were almost to the green and gold tent when Cody appeared beside them, summoned by Miyako who had gone running through the camp to find him.  
  
"Here, Sora." He said, as he lifted Tai's arm off her shoulders. "Let me take him."  
  
The queen hesitated, then nodded reluctantly and let the young monk take her place. She placed a hand on Tai's shoulder, and shuffled sideways through the mud as Jyou and Cody carried him to where Miyako was anxiously holding the tent flap open for them.  
  
"Queen Sora, Lord Jyou!" Lord Artur walked up to them from where he, and the rest of the old Ishidian lords had been keeping vigil. "What is happening? Why is everyone gathering here?"  
  
Sora paid him no attention, all her focus was on Tai. And Jyou just wearily shook his head. "I honestly don't know what to tell you, my Lord."  
  
Artur opened his mouth to reply, but at that moment Ken appeared at the opening of the tent. "Lord Artur." He said sharply. "I must speak to you."  
  
"What?" The old man asked surprised. Ken had not spoken a word to him since they had been introduced.  
  
Ignoring the stunned response, Ken went up to the old lord and began to whisper in his ear. "Go around to all the fires and all the men. Tell them… Tell them there is hope. But that they must show no sign of anything but despair until the beasts begin to charge down the mountain. Then they must be ready to fight for as long as it takes… And tell them that the wolves are our allies."  
  
"What in God's name?" Artur stepped back, glaring at Ken angrily. "Lad, I am too old a man to listen to such nonsensical crap in the hour before I die! Now what is going on?"  
  
Despite himself, Ken smirked. "I am telling you the truth, Lord Artur. The slimmest hope exists that we will live the past the dawn. And if you chose not to believe in that, then everything you know and love is forfeit." He paused and looked towards the mountains. "The Northern beasts must not have the slightest inclination of what we are trying to do until it is impossible to hide it from them. And by then, our forces must be prepared to hold them at bay until the very—"  
  
His head suddenly burned with pain, and he had to choke back a scream as he covered his face with his hands.  
  
"Lad?" Artur whispered, his expression immediately softening.  
  
"Never mind!" Ken moaned. "Just do as I have told you!" Then he went stumbling, almost falling, back to the tent.  
  
Artur stared after him, feeling very confused and very weak. His diseased hands suddenly cramped, making him grimace in pain as his fingers twisted around themselves. I am a tired and worthless old man, he thought, drowning in times and matters that are far above my sphere of understanding. But even as he thought this, a tiny light seemed to spring up in his heart, and the song of wolves once again played itself in his soul. His shaking hand moved towards the hilt of the heavy sword at his side. "For my King and my Queen." He whispered reverently, lovingly. Then he stepped through the darkness to fulfill his task.  
  
Ken stopped at the opening of the tent to watch the old man go. Then another surge of pain suddenly ripped through his skull and he almost threw up. He had never tried to control the visions before, never tried to make them show him only what he wanted to see. And they were not reacting kindly to his sudden display of will. He had to wait for the pain to dull before stepping inside the tent.  
  
The Kamiyians were gathered around the bed where not long before, Hikari had lain herself down beside her husband before losing consciousness. The Tachikawans looked at them with pity and worry as they stood against the canvas wall. The tent was warm and steamy with body heat and condensing rain.  
  
"They're barely breathing at all." Jyou tensely confirmed what Ken already knew.  
  
"What… What are we doing here?" Tai had regained enough clarity of mind to ask between gasping breaths. He glanced around at Matt, and his eyes creased in anger. "What is he doing here?"  
  
Matt did not respond, but his blue eyes full of sorrow and guilt met Tai's gaze and held it until the young king sheepishly looked away.  
  
"We're all in this together now." Izzy announced. Then he looked straight at Ken. "Aren't we?"  
  
Ken gave another smug grin, his only armor against the pain and uncertainty charging through him. "You've been in this together from the very beginning. Each of you, with the exception of the Abbot and the former boy- king," He nodded towards his mentor and Ryo. "was chosen at conception to be the embodiment of one of the twelve virtues of mankind, safeguards against the periodic rise of the darkness… And this is perhaps the darkest hour the world has yet known."  
  
His eyes traveled over everyone in the tent, instinctively expecting questions and doubts. But every pair of eyes was grimly set. This was the only road they had left, whether they believed in it or not.  
  
"Just tell us what to do." Matt said firmly.  
  
Ken sighed and closed his eyes, leafing through the millions of pictures in his mind to find the ones he needed. "The circle begins with them." He said finally, pointing to Kari and TK lying on the bed. "It begins with Light and Hope." He blinked deeply and licked his lips. "Then it's—"  
  
He bit his cheek in pain as another burst tore through him. His entire body seemed to squeeze itself so tightly that he almost couldn't breathe.  
  
"Ken, are you okay?" Miyako asked with genuine concern.  
  
"It doesn't matter." He grunted a reply.  
  
He concentrated, because even as the pain faded it left a tingling of warning in his mind. And in another instant it appeared to him what he was being warned of.  
  
"Wait." He said. "They're too powerful. Without them being conscious to add the element of control, the circle will be torn apart."  
  
He closed his eyes again, and was thankful that the answer came to him almost as soon as he started to search. "Abbot." He said. "Take Takeru's hand… Ryo, take Hikari's. The two of you will have to act as buffers, help control some of the power."  
  
The old man and the boy quickly and wordlessly did as they were told. Ken almost warned them of how dangerous this would be. But he already knew that both of them were willing no matter what the risk. Ryo was desperate to make up for being a pawn of Rolen's. And for the Abbot, it was simply another part of his eternal penance for what he had done to a little boy with haunting blue eyes.  
  
"We need someone else." Ken continued. "Someone close to Takeru and Hikari who can act as the bridge between them."  
  
"Lucas!" Sora spoke out immediately. "He's their captain… Cody, go find him."  
  
The monk nodded his agreement, but before he could take more than a step, Lucas appeared at the opening of the tent.  
  
"That's okay, Highness." He said softly. "I'm right here." Rain dribbled from his curly black hair. His eyes were sunken and bloodshot. And he looked more like a gaunt old warrior than the boy he was. "I saw Lord Artur running around, he said something was going on."  
  
"Did you hear what I was saying?" Ken wasted no time.  
  
The boy gave a shallow nod. "I heard what I need to hear, I guess." Then without another word he stepped forward and climbed on the bed, his muddy boots and cloak further staining silk sheets already marked by rain and blood. He reached out and took Kari's hand in his right, TK's in his left. He gave no care to the danger. He had already failed to protect his lord and lady once, he would not do so again.  
  
Ken gave a short sigh of relief. He noticed that he had started to sweat, and his hand trembled as he wiped his forehead. "After Light and Hope comes Courage." He said. "That's you, Tai."  
  
The young king took a deep breath, and gingerly stepped close enough to take the Abbot's hand.  
  
"Then Love, Sora." The young queen took a hold of her husband's hand and squeezed it tight.  
  
"Friendship." Matt's heart panged when Ken looked him in the eye. It didn't seem like the kind of virtue a person like him could ever posses. He bowed his head as he walked around to the other side of the tent, and lightly took Sora's tentatively outstretched hand.  
  
"Sincerity, that's the Princess." Mimi couldn't keep a small, nervous blush from her face as she walked over to lace her fingers with Matt's.  
  
"Fidelity, Jyou. Then Knowledge, Izzy." The two young men nodded to each other before taking their places. Izzy fought back the cheerless urge to say that his virtue was 'finally one that made sense'.  
  
"Justice." The line continued. "Brother Cody." The young monk flinched involuntarily, but quickly joined the others.  
  
"Compassion." Ken's voice softened, and he kept his eyes locked with Miyako's as she took her place.  
  
He blinked deeply and then turned to Jun, but before he could speak, a series of pictures whipped past the space behind his eyes, a boy as brave as any man, too brave to ever become a man. He looked back at Jun, filled with the feeling that she had somehow seen it too.  
  
"Davis…" She whispered, new tears coming to life in her eyes. "He… He should be here instead of me… He was supposed to be here."  
  
"He was chosen." Ken told her softly. "And then he chose to give his life, and pass his gift to the sister he dearly loved. To share with her, the power of Miracles."  
  
Jun allowed a wet gasp to pass from her throat as she took Miyako's hand. She looked across to the other side of the tent and saw Tai and Sora looking back at her, their eyes filled with slowly shedding tears. They had loved and mourned Davis too, hadn't they, she thought. How could she have hated them for so long just because Davis was brave, and foolish, and her brother?  
  
"And that just leaves me." Ken said at last, taking his place between Jun and Ryo. "Kindness." The word left a salty, guilty feeling in his stomach. He took their hands and completed the circle, and as he did so, the clarity of the pictures in his head seemed to diminish until he could no longer see them, like a part of his mind had gone numb. It was a troubling feeling even though he had long wished they would go away. He was blind now, with no way of knowing what might happen.  
  
"What do we do now?" Tai asked.  
  
Ken felt a shot of dread and doubt go careening off the walls of his chest, he really didn't know for sure. "Just wait." He said. "And don't break the circle, don't break it no matter what happens."  
  
Silence feel over the tent, and for many long moments not a thing happened. Hands became clammy and slick, they all began to nervously shift their feet and squirm their shoulders… Matt kept his eyes glued on Takeru's still form. His head had fallen against Hikari's, dirty blonde hair mingling with soft golden brown.  
  
Suddenly, from up in the mountains the beasts began their growling chant once again, angry and urgent, like a monster roused from sleep.  
  
"They've discovered what we're doing." Ken said, glancing nervously towards the tent flap.  
  
Immediately outside the tent could be heard shouting and the clanking of armor. And then from what seemed like all around, there came the strong, challenging howls of hundreds of wolves.  
  
Matt began to feel dread pumping through his chest. He suddenly felt very weak and very vulnerable. He looked around the circle and noticed that everyone seemed to have gone ashen, like the fear was a virus running through them all. He felt both Mimi and Sora's hands start to tremble wildly in his grasp. And still nothing was happening…  
  
A horse galloped by behind Matt's back, and the sounds of shouting outside became louder, trying to rise above the fearsome, wailing crescendo flowing from the mountains. Terror ran cold through Matt's veins. He couldn't stand it anymore, he needed a sword, he couldn't just stand there and wait to be slaughtered! The tent seemed to get unbearably hot, like an oven. He loosened his grip on Sora's hand…  
  
"Don't break the circle!" Ken shouted in a quaking voice, even though he desperately wanted to do it himself.  
  
Matt reflexively tightened his hold, biting into his cheek to keep from crying out. He clenched his eyes shut, trying to block out the fear… Was he imagining it, or were Mimi and Sora's hands suddenly buzzing with electricity? No, he shook his head, he had to be imagining it. He took a deep breath and licked his lips. Just hold on… Just hold on…  
  
His ears started to drift into the world outside the tent. He heard padded feet on pine needles, the deep panting of long pink tongues lolling out of narrow muzzles, rain drops falling on tangled, matted fur, the hissing of bared fangs, panicked hearts beating beneath cold steel, hurriedly whispered prayers.  
  
And before he could place them all, they blended into the roar of the wind that shot up from his feet and whipped past his face. In shock he threw open his eyes, only to be greeted by a blinding white, like sunlight reflected on snow. He tried to shut his eyes again, but the white shone through his eyelids until he could not tell if he had his eyes open or closed.  
  
The roar of the wind became louder, and he could feel its pull on his hair and clothes, together with the slight pressure on his hands. But no sooner did Matt realize this, then all sensation left him. No sound, no feeling, no sight except the white.  
  
Was he still holding on? Was the circle still together? The thought horrified him, but an instant later it was gone, sucked away by the wind he no longer felt.  
  
What circle? What-What's happening?  
  
He tried to think back, but there nothing left in his mind to think back to. His memory was empty. He couldn't remember who his parents were, or his friends. He couldn't remember what he looked like. It had all been erased, vacuumed away. He was dissolving into nothingness.  
  
Terror flooded whatever was left of him, but immediately the fear was gone, taken away like everything else.  
  
I'm being pulled apart, he thought. Peeled away layer by layer like an onion. Only, what was an onion? An instant later the words themselves had no meaning.  
  
His abstract thoughts began to grow thin, but instinctively he resisted the void that sought to devour him. Only two things, two real, random thoughts remained to him.  
  
The silly jingling of Takeru's laugh when he was a little boy…  
  
The way Mimi looked in the dark, stray beams of moonlight playing with her long hair, painting her back and shoulders the color of cream…  
  
What was left of Matt did not have the ability to understand these things, but for some reason they made him feel warm…  
  
Then all at once the white and the wind were gone, and Matt was doubled up on the floor of the tent, a choking sound coming from his throat as he tried to scream. His insides felt like they had been tied into knots and then set on fire. He tried to move, but his limbs were heavy as lead; he couldn't even flex his fingers. A moment later the pain became hellishly unbearable. All his joints locked into place and his throat closed on itself. He could almost hear his teeth grinding themselves down. It felt as if he were being crushed by a giant fist. Hot needles shot through his crying lungs and he wished that the void had just swallowed him.  
  
But just as the seizure had reached its worst, it let him go. Blessed air swept into his lungs and washed down through his limbs. He rolled over on his stomach and gagged on the bile that had been pushed up into his throat. Sweat poured off his face and his whole body trembled with weakness, he could barely get to his knees without falling over. Disoriented and confused, he looked wildly around the tent.  
  
Everyone was splayed out unconscious on the floor. There were no traces of pain or worry on any of their faces, they all seemed to be caught up in a peaceful slumber. Mimi's hair had fallen over her face, and was lightly being brushed by the long, low breaths from her pouting lips.  
  
Matt heard a muffled groan of pain. His eyes shot up to the bed, where Takeru seemed to be locked in the same kind of seizure he had just experienced. The young man's back arched into the air, and his fists were balled so tightly that his fingernails dug into the flesh and drew blood.  
  
Matt lunged weakly forward to help his brother, but only succeeded in falling forward on his face. With a curse he reached up and grabbed a handful of the bed sheets, his arms shaking like mad as he slowly and painfully pulled himself up. But by the time he managed to lean his chest over the edge of the bed, Takeru had already been released from the crushing grip. He had sunk back into the bed, sweat glistening on his body and asleep like everyone else, including the wife that dozed quietly beside him. Matt gave a long sigh of relief, and let his cheek rest against the soft sheets. He let his eyes fall closed and his body relax. It was okay… Everything was okay…  
  
He almost fell asleep, but then excitement suddenly welled inside him, shooting up through his chest like a geyser. His eyes snapped open and his hands griped the sheets tightly. He almost didn't dare to believe… But he slowly lifted his head, gazing at his brother in shock and wonder.  
  
Somehow, the bandages around TK's torso had been ripped away, revealing that the wound in his stomach was gone, not even a scar, nothing at all to suggest someone had ever torn a dagger through the smooth, flushed skin.  
  
Matt was scared to let himself believe it could be true. He reached out and felt Takeru's stomach, running his hand over the area where the wound had been. His breathing came in excited pants. He looked over to where Tai was laying on the ground. The young king's cloak was opened and his bandages were in tatters, the wounds in his side and head had disappeared and the fever was gone from his face. The hope and excitement grew even more, tears of joy blurred Matt's eyes. He pulled up his sleeve and looked at his wrist, the softly throbbing gash that had been there since the day before was gone, wiped away.  
  
"It worked." He whispered to himself. "Oh my God, it worked." A broad, awed smile broke out on his face, and for the first time in ages he almost laughed. But then a high shriek of pain broke through the canvas walls and assailed his ears, and on its heels came all the horribly familiar sounds of battle.  
  
All the relief and happiness immediately fled from Matt, flying from him like a frightened bird. "Stupid! Careless!" He berated himself. They may have created a miracle, but it was a rare miracle that wiped out entire armies. Holding on to the bed, he pushed himself wearily to his feet. His legs ached and quivered in protest, begging him to lie down and sleep like everyone else. Jesus, he felt so weak, so weak and so alone, the only one awake and aware of the danger.  
  
He kept a hand on the bed to steady himself, and did his best not to stumble over the tangle of arms and legs as he made his way to the flap. There was a rack of swords against the wall near the bed, and Matt grabbed one of them and used it to prop himself up as he let go of the bed and stepped awkwardly to the opening. He looked out over the field, and his eyes went wide with amazement.  
  
The rain had stopped, and the dark purple sky was filled with heavy silver clouds that seemed to be spilling light over the battlefield. A mass of dead beasts lay like some horrible carpet spread from the mountains to the edge of the camp, there had to be thousands of them. Those beasts still alive were engaged in what appeared to be a final, futile battle with the defenders. The wolves darted in and out of the throng, their muzzles frothy with blood.  
  
Matt's mind whirled as it tried to make sense of what he was seeing. Miracles didn't wipe out whole armies, did they?  
  
His wildest imagination would not have provided him an answer. Even as he had felt himself being lost to the white void of the circle, a pulsing light had radiated from the simple green and gold tent, crashing over the battlefield like a wave driven before a hurricane. It was not even visible to the defenders, who only perceived it as a momentary rush of excitement and courage ringing in their hearts like the last echoes of a song. To the wolves, it was only a warm hand sliding down their backs. But to the armies of the northern darkness it was destruction.  
  
The youngest and weakest, of which more than half of the beasts qualified, were struck down instantly, their blood superheated to the point that their organs boiled. Those strong enough to resist the heat and the light were caught by a web of madness and fear that streaked their fur white and sent them racing back to the mountains and the safety of their northern snows, not to trouble the South for years to come. Only the most powerful beasts, those fortified by hundreds of sunless winters, retained their wits and their lives. And they fought with the strength and fearless abandon that only comes to those who are doomed. They would fall to the cold determination and steel of the men, and the crushing jaws of the wolves.  
  
But Matt, watching the battle unfold, did not feel any sort of impending triumph. His strength was waning even as his dread grew. There was still danger and death close by, the last blow of a war could kill just as easily as the first. His hunter eyes narrowed and scanned the field. Looking for he last threat he sensed lurking, wishing and praying he wouldn't find it, but knowing without a doubt that he would.  
  
A few seconds later he saw it, skirting around the far side of the camp, far from the battle. There were around a dozen of them, maybe a few less or more, not that it would make much difference. All of them were tall and powerful, quick and agile, their eyes all glowed a poisoned yellow.  
  
Matt's shoulders slumped and a deadly chill settled on his heart. No one else would see them, he knew, as he turned around a weakly grabbed another sword from the rack. No one would hear a thing over the din of the battle. Christ, he hoped they wouldn't come faster now that they knew he had seen them. He needed to buy all the time he could.  
  
"Please, God, please…" He whispered. "You wouldn't make everyone go through this if they were just going to die anyway…"  
  
There were tears in his eyes as he hefted both swords, ignoring the way his arms screamed from exhaustion, willing himself to be strong one last time. He turned back to the beasts, saw them hiss and flash sharp, sly smiles, their fangs gleaming just as brightly as their spears.  
  
"Come on you bastards!" Matt shouted, stepping far away from the green and gold tent. "You're not going to get near them!"  
  
The beasts stopped in the shadow of another tent, taking the time to eye Matt as they crouched low to the ground. Some of them threw away their spears and made a show of flexing their claws.  
  
Matt moved a few steps farther from the tent where everything he cared about slept. He blinked away the tears and tightened his grip on the swords. "Come on!"  
  
The beasts tensed their muscles. The leader's eyes glowed amber, it growled, a sound like bones rattling in a crypt. And then they sprung—  
  
"FOR THE GLORY OF ISHIDA!" Lord Artur appeared from nowhere, his sword raised unsteadily over his head. He dove straight into the midst of the beasts' ranks, startling them for a few long seconds. He swung his sword with his last bit of life, cutting down two before the beasts howled in fury and moved back against him. They pulled him to the muddy ground, and their spears hung in the air like wasps before they plunged down on him, over and over… One blood-drenched and shaking old hand reached up above the stinging spears and grabbed the nearest beast by the throat, crushing its windpipe. The beast stumbled backwards and fell with a gagging rasp. While the old hand quivered in the air for an extra second before floating back down under the spears, its trembling and cramping silenced at last.  
  
No! Matt yelled in his mind as he began to charge. No one else! No one else! An anguished scream tore from his lips as he bore down on the beasts.  
  
Only the leader was not caught up in the butchering, and turned to meet him. It bared its claws and leapt at Matt with horrendous speed, catching both his wrists before he could bring across his swords. Then it lunged forward and sank its fangs deep into his left shoulder.  
  
Matt heard himself cry out in pain as white fire ripped through his arm. He kicked out reflexively, catching the beast twice in the stomach before it jumped away. With his unhurt arm, Matt swung his sword low, trying to take out the thing's legs. But it hopped easily over the blow and darted in to rake Matt's face, tearing open his left cheek. Matt teetered backwards on his feet, clenching his teeth as his cheek began to throb with pain. Blood filled his mouth and dribbled down his chin.  
  
The beast leapt at him again, getting inside his arms and dragging its claws down his chest. But Matt was waiting for it, waiting for it to extend itself just a little too far. His right arm dropped beneath the claws, and when he brought it up the point of the sword came first, punching through the beast's stomach and emerging from its back. The creature's glowing yellow eyes bulged, and it gave a final weak growl before Matt put his foot against its chest and pushed it off the sword, letting it fall to the mud with a soft splat.  
  
It felt like fire and lightning were warring across Matt's body, sizzling and cracking in his wounds. Blood trailed from his shoulder, cheek, and chest. His strength drained by drops from his body and splashed in the mud… The surviving beasts watched him, waiting to pounce.  
  
He was alone…  
  
"I love you…" He whispered… Takeru playing in their mother's garden… Mimi whispering to him in the dark… "I'm sorry…"  
  
He charged at the beasts, both swords swinging wildly. He cleaved the first one's head in two, then pushed farther into them, stabbing and cutting into the twisting mass of mangy, stinking fur. For a few steps he had them retreating backwards behind the propped up body of their fallen comrade. But then their rage pushed beyond their surprise, and they moved to the attack.  
  
Matt tried to keep them at arm's length with his indiscriminate sword strokes, but their claws dug into his arms as he swung. The sword in his left hand was knocked away, he struck out blindly with his fist and heard his knuckles break against a piece of armor. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw one of them move over to his right, and before he could bring his sword around, a spear slipped into his stomach and nudged against his ribs. The pain seemed to freeze him in place as another spear pierced his thigh, and a pair of claws ripped even deeper into his chest.  
  
The world slowed for Matt… The pain flared and then grew numb, cold pooled up in his muscles. He tasted the blood sliding up his throat. His vision blurred and he felt his legs buckle beneath him. He began to fall backwards, and his eyes caught a glimpse of a slowly lightening sky as they rolled back.  
  
But then… he was no longer falling, a strong arm was around his back, holding him. His eyes drifted up, already knowing who would be there. A young, dirty face with messy golden hair and blue eyes pulsing with tears of anger, sadness, and worry.  
  
"Don't move, Matt." TK whispered. His eyes flashed back and forth between his brother and the seven beasts still living. He held out his sword and dared them to take a step. "I'll get you out of here."  
  
"No." Matt weakly shook his head. "They won't stop, we have to finish them."  
  
Even as the words left his mouth the beasts coiled their legs. Menacing growls erupted from their throats and they sprang.  
  
Both brothers instinctively moved to shield each other, their swords crossed, their hands touched… And the light in their hearts, anxious to spread and sun its wings after the white void had cleansed the centuries of oily darkness, exploded within them. Its humming song soared through their bodies, full of strength and love and courage. Their eyes became the bottomless blue of an ocean, strong and limitless.  
  
Matt no longer felt his wounds as he jumped to his feet beside Takeru. The beasts seemed to be hanging in mid-air, moving in slow motion. His sword flashed like mercury and three of them were dead before they hit the ground. He gasped in stunned relief as he realized that the dark part of them and its thirst for blood was gone, replaced by a bold, golden light that existed only so they could protect those they loved.  
  
He looked over at Takeru, who was starring in amazement at the four dead beasts at his feet, and a smile crossed his face. "My little brother…" He whispered to himself. The light began to fade and slip away from him, he heard it leaving as a sad, beautiful song. The borrowed strength left him and the taste of blood came back to his mouth. The sword fell from his hand as he crumpled to the ground.  
  
"Matt!" TK screamed in panic. He dove to his knees beside his brother and pressed his hands against the streaming wounds. "Oh God, just stay still and I'll get help…" He raised his head to call out in a cracking voice.  
  
"No." Matt said softly as he gently grabbed TK's arm. "There's nothing you can do, Takeru." Miracles can't be bought cheap. A ram has to be sacrificed and its blood painted on the doorpost to keep the darkness away.  
  
"No... No!" TK shook his head defiantly as his face contorted with tears. "There has to be some way… There has to be!"  
  
Matt gave a thin smile and moved his head a little to one side. "Do you hear that?" He asked. "Silence… you can't hear the battle anymore, can you? There's no more fighting… It's all over now, everything's okay."  
  
"You're not okay." TK cried.  
  
"But you're okay." Matt told him in a peaceful whisper. "Everybody we love is okay, that's what matters."  
  
The tears rolled heedlessly down TK's cheeks even as he struggled not to cry. "I just found you again, Matt. I can't lose you a second time, not now."  
  
"We never lost each other, Takeru, at least not the important parts." Matt reached out and weakly took TK's hand. "You have to watch over our family now, alright?"  
  
TK grasped Matt's bloodied hand tightly as he nodded. "I won't ever let anything hurt them."  
  
"I know…" Matt whispered.  
  
The brothers stared into each other's eyes, saying things in the silent language that all brothers share, even those separated by a lifetime.  
  
"Matt?" Mimi's worried and weary voice interrupted them as she tumbled out of the tent, the only one besides the brothers to yet awaken. Her eyes fell on where her lover lay, and she felt the soft crystal tinkling of her heart breaking. "Oh God, oh Jesus, no…" She started to run, falling almost immediately, and then half-crawling half-stumbling to his side.  
  
Matt and TK looked at each other a second longer. Then TK gave a small nod and moved away, climbing to his feet and walking a few steps before sinking back to his knees as sobs racked his frame.  
  
Mimi took his place at Matt's side, her eyes glowing with tears as they moved frantically up and down his tortured body, knowing he was dying. "Oh Lord, Matt…" She said in a quivering whisper. "Just hold on… Please just hold on…"  
  
"Shhh." Matt gave her a slender smile as he reached up to lovingly caress her face, painting it with the deep red of his blood. "It's okay, Meems. There's not a thing to worry about… I love you so much."  
  
She choked on her own tears and clutched his hand to her cheek. "Please…" She begged him softly. "Stay here with me. I love you."  
  
They were the same words she had said to him years ago, when they were little more than children, naive and afraid of their tender new love.  
  
Matt's smile grew a little broader. "I thought you said you were never going to ask me that again?" His voice had melted into a fragile whisper.  
  
"I lied." She admitted in a tear-drenched voice. "I'll ask you a million times a day for the rest of my life… Just please don't leave me alone."  
  
His last tears came to life in the corners of his eyes. "You'll never be alone…"  
  
She closed her eyes, her tears mixed with his blood on her cheeks. "Matt… I have to tell you something…" Her warm brown eyes blinked back open, her infinite love for him pouring out of every part of her being. "You're going to be a father, Matt… We're going to have a baby…"  
  
He had to fight to keep a sly smile from his face. "I know." He whispered faintly.  
  
"Wha-what?" She stammered, her shining eyes growing wide. "Don't play with me, Matt, there's no way you could know."  
  
His smile broke free on his mouth and in his eyes, broad and beaming, using the last bit of his strength to radiate with love for her. "Haven't I ever told you that you talk in your sleep?"  
  
Mimi stared at him in shock for a moment before breaking into to an uncontrollable fit of laughter, teary and sparkling, with a sad, sweet song blooming inside it. It was the most beautiful sound he had ever heard.  
  
His smile dried and blew away on the wind. His eyes fell closed and his head rolled gently against her leg. Her laughter changed to sobs of anguish and she cradled his head in her lap, leaning over to kiss him one last time.  
  
And on the horizon, the newborn sun spilled its brilliant orange and yellow paints on the beginnings of a beautiful new day.  
  
  
  
/////////////////////////////////////////////////  
  
Epilogue  
  
  
  
For three months no one left the shelter of Rolen's castle. It was a long enough time for everyone to get their strength back, for everyone to cry and mourn, long enough for two families to become one. It was a warm, bittersweet time, set against the roaring of winter snows outside. Near the end of the third month, TK knelt before the Abbot of Ichijouji in the main hall and received the heavy iron crown of Ishida. He then stood, turned to Kari sitting beside him (She was by now far too pregnant to kneel) and gently set a small crown of interwoven iron and gold on her head. He helped her to stand as the hall erupted with cheers for the new King and Queen of Ishida.  
  
Soon after the coronation, the snows began to melt and periodic patches of green were glimpsed in the field and forest. Everyone soon grew restless and anxious to return home. The Ishidian lords were among the first to leave, traveling in small groups back to their manors, always bearing the banner of the blue-eyed wolf in front of them.  
  
Most of the real wolves had drifted away with the first hint of snow, though a number of them could always be seen patrolling the forests around the castle. They would also be glimpsed wherever the royal family traveled.  
  
One chill day, Jun received word from her father that he was growing ill, and wished for his heir and daughter to return home to Motomiya. She quickly made her goodbyes, promising to write frequently and visit whenever the opportunity arose. She even hugged Sora and firmly shook Tai's hand. It was of little surprise to anyone that Izzy went with her, except possibly to Izzy himself.  
  
A few days after they left, Tai gave the order for the Kamiyians to prepare to return home. And a week later the remains of the column started north. Tai absolutely insisted that Sora leave Ishida the same way she entered it; in the steel-plated carriage, or the "pregnancy wagon" as everyone had begun to call it. "Your brother's going to make it a very long five-or-so- months for me." Sora told Kari with a sigh as she climbed inside. Kari could not say anything to the contrary, Tai had bordered on being a nervous wreck for days after he learned he was going to be a father. Cody accompanied them to the border, then turned east towards the coastal villages where he taught and preached every spring and summer.  
  
Lord Rordan, Lord Artur and many other warriors would, sadly, never be able to return to their homes. They would instead rest beneath the site of the Kamiyian camp, their final beds marked by long rows of marble stones.  
  
The Tachikawans would be the last large group to leave, mostly because Mimi could not yet bring herself to leave Matt. She visited him often, even more so than Takeru. His grave was away from the others, just at the edge of the forest, shaded by a great oak tree. She would have stayed near him until the baby was born if she had thought it responsible. But her kingdom and her people needed her, and Matt would have been the first to insist she return. There will be changes when I get back, she told herself. She was too strong and too sad now to be called a princess, the title seemed to sound too childish whenever she heard it said aloud. It was time she became a queen.  
  
Two weeks after the Kamiyians left, Mimi gave the signal for her troops to start for home. Miyako and Ken, just in the beginnings of a shy, blushing courtship, went with her. The Abbot also rode with them for a time, before bowing his head and striking out for the Ichijouji Monastery, very ready to go back to life among his books and vegetable patch.  
  
Ryo would be invited to stay and live at the castle, and he would periodically. But his true destiny lay across the sea, in a far-away kingdom, where he would find fame as a great explorer.  
  
As TK and Kari saw them all off, they began to wonder if they too should leave. Rolen's castle, as they still called it, was so full of dark memories. Wouldn't it be better to find another home that was truly theirs, rather than sharing one with centuries of ghosts? But after much thought, they came to realize that as it was their duty to redeem the tainted history of Ishida, so too, was it their duty to redeem the castle, by making it a home worthy of laughter and love. Their fist opportunity to do so came scarcely two weeks after everyone had left.  
  
TK, with Lucas at his side, had been riding for a few days in the countryside surrounding the castle, taking stock of the land and people. One rainy night, shortly after sunset, they stopped at a small mill outside an almost as small village. They asked the miller if they could seek shelter with him for the night, and though the man was more than willing to give them whatever help he could, he told them that he did not think his home would be the most comfortable place to spend the night. A man and a woman had knocked at his door two days earlier, he told them. They had a little boy with them who could not have been older than three, and who was sick with a fever. The man and woman asked him if he would watch the poor boy while they went into the village to find some herbs or medicine. The miller agreed immediately, and made the child as comfortable as he could. But the man and the woman had not come back, no one in the village had seen them come or go, and the boy's fever had worsened to the point that death could not be far away.  
  
As TK stepped inside the small room, he saw the boy lying in a bed over in the corner. He was red with heat and shivering from the chill. Light brown hair was plastered to his forehead with sweat, and eyes the color of freshly washed green grapes wildly blinked open and closed.  
  
TK felt his heart cry out in pain, and without another thought he went over to the bed and picked up the boy. He wrapped the child in his cloak and ran for his horse, jumping up in the saddle and riding for hours in the dark and rain, the boy clutched to his chest, and Lucas trailing wearily after him.  
  
It was close to midnight when they made it back to the castle, and the horses were ready to drop. TK raced inside and up the stairs to their room. Kari met him at the door, looking at the boy, and then into her husband's eyes for only a moment before calling for damp rags, cold water, and every kind of salve, herb, and balm Jyou had left with them. All through the night they hovered over the boy, nursing him, coaxing the fever out of his cheeks. And when dawn finally broke, so did the fever. The boy slept soundly curled up in their bed.  
  
As Kari looked down at him, a sly, tired smile crossed her face and she took TK's hand. "I hope our other children will give me an easier time than this one." She told him. TK just gave her a small grin and pulled her close.  
  
When the boy awoke, they learned that his name was Kit. But any other questions posed him, such as "Where are your parents?", were met only by a flinching shrug. It was not until two months later, after Kari had given birth to a girl and a boy, in that order, named Angela and Ethan, that Kit, after studying the babies intently, would look up at TK and say. "I want to stay here with you and Kari." He would never call them Mom or Dad unless he was getting a fever.  
  
"Well that's good." TK told the boy as he picked him up and put him on his shoulders. "Because we were planning on keeping you."  
  
Kit would be a strong, slightly serious child. When he got into trouble, it was usually because Ethan, with his dirty-blonde hair and charming brown eyes, had managed to talk him into it. Ethan was an energetic, rambunctious boy, and he knew he was at his best when he had Kit watching his back. This would become very apparent to everyone as the boys grew into two of the most feared warriors in the world.  
  
Angela, called Angel by her family, would mostly spend her childhood nagging the boys and informing on them to TK and Kari. "You have to do what I say." She was fond of saying in a bossy voice. "Because someday I will be Queen and you two will only be princesses."  
  
"They'll be princes, honey." Kari would interject. "Not princesses."  
  
Then Angel would huff and say. "Well, when I'm Queen I shall call them whatever I want."  
  
She would grow into an astoundingly beautiful young woman, with brown hair that shimmered with gold, and blue eyes that sparkled in the rain. She could never stop herself from trying to interfere with Kit and Ethan's games. A tendency most vividly displayed when she got fed up with Kit capturing the hearts of all her maids and ladies, and set herself to capturing his instead. Their marriage was probably a foregone conclusion anyway, since they had always been quietly devoted to each other.  
  
Ethan, too, would not be beyond the reach of puppy love grown up. He came home one day from a ride and was immediately smitten by the wild beauty sitting in the courtyard. Princess Dana of Motomiya was visiting with her parents, and had not seen Ethan since she was eight years old and tingling from her first kiss.  
  
A frequent visitor to the castle was the children's cousin, Prince Mathew of Tachikawa, who was the spitting image of his father. Mat was often teased by Kit and Ethan because growing up in a house run by women, including Miyako and Ken's brainy and arrogant daughter, Jessica, had not exactly prepared him for the Ishida boys' rough style of play. But Mat just about worshiped his Uncle Takeru, and they often sat and talked underneath the oak tree next to Matt's grave. "He would have been very proud of you." TK and Mimi both told him. And it was true, Mat would grow into a noble young man, a warrior to rival or even surpass Kit and Ethan.  
  
Angel's two best friends were always her cousin, Princess Sara of Kamiya, who was like her father in every way, except (thankfully) she had her mother's beauty, and Marie of Kido, who had all of her father's intelligence plus an unexpected amount of whimsy. Both girls could be counted on to visit at least once a summer, and to spend much of their time trying to get back at Ethan (and sometimes Kit and Mat) for the countless number of pranks to which he subjected them.  
  
When they were older, Sara and Mat would actually decide to marry. After all, they were good friends that got along very well, and they could always make each other laugh. They thought they would save their parents and themselves a lot of unnecessary worry about the future ruling of their respective kingdoms. It was not until they actually stood together before Brother Cody that they realized they were in love.  
  
Unlike their parents, all of the children grew up knowing they were loved. But there would still be anger and sadness, more tears and trials than they deserved. For darkness always returns eventually. And the beasts still prowled the Northern snows, watching and waiting. And there would be a time when parents and children would stand and fight together against a greater enemy than any could imagine.  
  
But all that is a story for another day… 


End file.
